A few weeks ago I painted a mural with the students at the Albany Free School in upstate NY. The school was founded in the late 60s, with a setup that is simil

A few weeks ago I painted a mural with the students at the Albany Free School in upstate NY. The school was founded in the late 60s, with a setup that is similar to what is described in this article. I found that the students interacted with me and the project in the way I'd expect confident adults to do. They had a self-possession that I have almost never experienced in children, and rarely find in adults. A curriculum primarily centered around freedom had given them the opportunity to learn to listen to and trust their own internal narrative. After spending a number of days working with them I was convinced that all people, children and adults, need freedom of choice in their lives. Not because of the products that come out of it, but because of the people that emerge from it.