By Kerry McDonald As the Chicago teachers’ strike continues with no end in sight, 300,000 students spend another day outside of the public school classroom. Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot, says this is damaging to children. "We need to get our kids back in school," the mayor said Thursday, CNN reports. "Every day we are out, that hurts our children." But Are the … [Read more...] about Chicago Teachers’ Strike Shows Why We Don’t Need Public Schools
Kerry McDonald
Teachers Who Quit to Create Schooling Alternatives
By Kerry McDonald It’s not uncommon for public school teachers to experience burnout or feel demoralized by the weight of their work. Many leave the classroom and the education profession behind to pursue other careers. In fact, U.S. Labor Department data reveal that public school educators are quitting their jobs at record-breaking rates. But some public school teachers … [Read more...] about Teachers Who Quit to Create Schooling Alternatives
Why so Many College Students Are In Mental Distress—And What Parents Can Do about It
By Kerry McDonald With college classes underway for the fall semester, parents may worry about how their children will navigate campus life, balance academics and social pressures, and find their pathway to a meaningful career. While parents of college students have long shared these common worries, they now confront new concerns. The number of college students … [Read more...] about Why so Many College Students Are In Mental Distress—And What Parents Can Do about It
4 Great Tools for Teaching Kids Economics and Liberty
By Kerry McDonald Whenever my children express an interest in economics or are curious about the ideals of freedom and responsibility, I can barely contain my excitement. It wasn’t until college that I discovered, and fell in love with, economics, and it wasn’t until much later that I understood liberty as a life philosophy. Fortunately, I can avoid stifling their … [Read more...] about 4 Great Tools for Teaching Kids Economics and Liberty
The Difference Between Public Libraries and Public Schools
By Kerry McDonald Plans for the Boston Public Library, the nation’s second-oldest public library, were approved in 1852, the same year Massachusetts passed the country’s first compulsory schooling law. Both public libraries and public schools are funded through taxation and both are “free” to access, but the similarities end there. The main difference between public … [Read more...] about The Difference Between Public Libraries and Public Schools
How Our Culture Disempowers Teens
By Kerry McDonald Teenagers are extraordinarily capable. Louis Braille invented his language for the blind when he was 15. Mary Shelley, daughter of libertarian feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, wrote Frankenstein when she was 18. As a young teen, Anne Frank documented her life of hiding from the Nazis during World War II. Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Prize at 17. The Impact … [Read more...] about How Our Culture Disempowers Teens
6 Myths About Education and How to Deschool Yourself for Success and Satisfaction
By Kerry McDonald Most of us spent at least 15,000 hours of our childhood and adolescence being schooled before we turned 18. Now in adulthood, we may need to unlearn some of what we were taught and embrace self-education for career success and personal fulfillment. Much of what we learned in school was dictated by others, disconnected from our own passions and … [Read more...] about 6 Myths About Education and How to Deschool Yourself for Success and Satisfaction
The Value of a Self-Directed Summer for Kids
By Kerry McDonald It’s all over the news these days. Kids are stressed-out, not playing, and, most worrisome, experiencing sharp increases in depression and suicide. Last month, a new paper published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology revealed that adolescent mental health has deteriorated over the last decade, with soaring depression rates for young people ages 14 to … [Read more...] about The Value of a Self-Directed Summer for Kids