When I was twelve years old, I was blessed to get a scholarship to a "free school". It wasn't free in the monetary sense, but it provided an environment that gave students an amazing degree of personal freedom.

I spent a year there thinking that I was goofing off. Kids would pretend to be well when they were sick, just so that they wouldn't miss a single day of fun.

At the end of the year, I was given a aptitude test. The results showed that I'd moved up at least several grades in every subject... painlessly. Thanks in part to my free school experience, I received a partial scholarship to begin college while completing high school when I was 15.

Here's some of the things that my school did:

School money: Every student had a school bank account and was given a small deposit of starter money.

Employment: Every student had to either own and run a business, or work for someone else.

Weekly auctions: Students were encouraged to take a look at their belongings and weed out things they and their families no longer needed. They could then sell these items to other students at the school auction.

School court: If a student had a grievance against another student, they could take them to school court and make their case. The student body decided whether or not a defendent was guilty, and what their punishment would be. Since we were acting as judges, it was our duty to be as wise and fair as possible.

Weekly contracts: Every week, each student sat down with a teacher and put together a homework agreement. We had to move beyond what we'd already learned, but could choose which exercises and topics we wanted to focus on in each subject. We then signed the contract. The teacher would remind us of the importance of honoring our contracts.

Mentoring: Older kids were encouraged to help out younger kids when asked. At the same time, we were told to give them their space and allow them to learn from their mistakes.

Free time: Once we'd completed our contract and met our employment obligations for the week, we could do pretty much anything we wanted. We spent a lot of time outside playing games and sports. We could also choose to study any subject at any grade level. The teachers donated their old records for us to listen and dance to. Art materials and books were available at all times, and we were encouraged to create. There was no censorship.

The Results

I got more exercise that year than at any other time in my school career. My coordination and strength increased tenfold. So did my self-confidence.

I studied into college level on a couple of my favorite subjects. The teachers helped me find textbooks. This wasn't unusual. I rode to school every day with a 5-year-old who was studying philosophy. There was a 7-year-old who was studying calculus. And so on.

I finally got up to my grade level in math. In large part, this was because I had to balance my bank account, pay my employees, manage my revenue and expenses, and handle my auction sales and purchases. Math with a purpose made sense to me.

As an "older kid" and a business owner (I ran the school paper), I learned how to lead when necessary... and how to do it without being a dictator.

But my biggest learning experience came as a complete surprise. My "boyfriend" was brought before the school court on charges of embezzlement. He was president of the school bank. His best friend, and the bank's vice-president, was also implicated.

It seems that they'd been running a gambling operation to fleece the little kids when the teachers weren't around. They then figured out who wasn't good at math and stole money from their bank accounts.

But the little kids were smarter than the bankers gave them credit for. They banded together, collected evidence and brought charges.

Needless to say, I was infuriated. The victims were 5 and 6 years old. I felt guilty for not figuring out what my boyfriend had been up to. I was supposed to help the younger students, and I'd let them down. I decided never to speak to him again.

The court quickly established guilt and it came time for the sentencing. We all agreed that the bankers would be relieved of their positions, their school property, and that their money would be distributed among the plaintiffs. But school rules required that the embezzlers be gainfully employed, or they'd be sent to "prison", which amounted to a revocation of free time priviledges.

The bankers threw themselves upon the mercy of the court. No-one would have anything to do with them. But they begged and begged, and finally a teacher asked for someone to please hire them.

There was an uncomfortably long silence. Somehow, I fought aside my feelings of anger and betrayal, and announced that I could use a reporter and a copy machine operator. It took everything I had in me, especially since someone immediately taunted me with, "Figures! He's your boyfriend!".

I knew that once I'd made the offer, I had to see it through. Every day from then on was a challenge, as I tried to be a fair and understanding boss to two self-important guys with damaged egos. But for the most part, I pulled it off. And I learned a lot about strengths that I didn't know I had in the process.

I guess my point is that we learn the most from "real life" situations. Textbooks can't match experience when it comes to learning how to parent ourselves. Likewise, letters and numbers disconnected from experience can't match what we learn when we harness them to achieve goals.

For a well-rounded education that "sticks", we must immerse kids in activities that integrate life skills with traditional learning and provide the freedom necessary for true growth.