Why Do These Kids Love School? (1999)

Directed by

Dorothy Fadiman

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

How it feels

This documentary visits nine schools in the United States that use innovative teaching methods. It shows how these schools prioritize creative thinking and hands-on learning over memorization.

optimisticinspiringthoughtfulobservationalwarmintimatehopeful

What happens

Why Do These Kids Love School? is a documentary film directed by filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman, which examines an independent school, Peninsula School, followed by visits to eight public schools around the country (pre-school through high school) all of which have innovative programs. What emerges is the value of implementing humane values and programs that value creative thinking, self-directed learning, and first-hand experience more than memorization of facts. The schools in the film are Peninsula School, Graham and Parks School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Central Park East Secondary School in New York City (now a high school since 2005), Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis, Clement Gregory McDonough City Magnet School in Lowell, Massachusetts, Jefferson County Open School in Lakewood, Colorado, New Orleans Free School (closed after Hurricane Katrina), Central Park East II in New York City, and Davis Alternative Magnet School in Jackson, Mississippi. Mary Anne Raywid wrote that the film "manages not only to produce a strong emotional impact but also to provide a remarkably intimate look at life inside nine different schools. It successfully conveys a sense of the spirit and personality of the schools portrayed, and it even manages to suggest something of what makes them tick." Alternative Education Resource Organization used the film to explain the term, "Open School" in a glossary about education. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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