We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erin Flynn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I had been teaching for eight years, both university, as a postgrad, and high school. I moved to a principal position for four years and completed my certification studies as a Texas Superintendent. I have to say, these experiences and the many people I worked with and learned from were extraordinary. I began to see very clearly though, that despite the brilliant people working, I stress the word “working,” in education, our students were not being served nor treated as respected members of our communities. The pressures and stresses of safety, testing, and conformity have become untenable. So, I stepped down from the public education system. I was approached by a handful of parents and students who knew me to start my own school. Together, we met and discussed the best way to create a learning space for students that gave them freedom to explore, have an active voice in their education, and to be respected and valued. I discovered this was known as consent-based education. We began as a community and we will continue as a community. My feedback and direction comes directly from those invested in the development of compassionate, creative, critical thinkers. These invested beings are my community members: students, parents, educators, and supporters.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born in Cornwall to a US Navy father and an Irish-English Mum. With my older brother, we traveled and lived in many different places growing up: England, Sicily, Ireland, and a few states in the US. From a young age, I loved reading and writing stories. I loved school. Everything about it really, classes, teachers, lunch, recess, the smell of the buildings (mostly pencil shavings and art supplies). I was extremely fortunate to have beautiful mentors throughout my time as a student, from kindergarten to Post-Graduate studies. Teachers, principals, and counselors were my exemplars. As I got older, and transferred from school to school, I began to realize that not everyone had the same experience as I, including my older brother. There were frustrations, anger, and feelings of inadequacies that were either not being noticed by the adults or just being ignored. This along with my studies in theology and philosophy lead me down this path of creating a community of learners, where every Being is seen, heard, and valued. Every person is both teacher and student, myself included. One of the things that I do differently is that my school has no code of conduct for students, no dress code, no 18 page list of infractions and wrong doings. I want my students to walk into school and know that the only thing I am expecting them to do is be themselves. If they’re ready to learn and do the work, great! If they’re tired because they were up all night with anxiety, then there’s a blanket in the basket by the pencils. The adults have a code of conduct. We set the example; we don’t take the exception. The proudest thing I have done is started the Hedge School Coop with both trust in myself and trust from the people who know me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Early in my high school teaching career, I had to learn how to not make assumptions especially about what a student was thinking or knew. I learned it is better to ask questions and listen rather than jump to conclusions. My first time assigning my sophomores a writing assignment I told them the prompt and page requirements and that it was due first thing next week. Next week, not a single paper had been done. I was raging. I told them that this was unacceptable, that I expected more from honors students, etc. Finally, one brave and also fed-up student, hurled this at me, “how did you expect us to write a 5 page paper when we’ve never done that before?!” Sure they had written narrative essays as freshman, but persuasive essays were a totally new concept. I having come from a university teaching background assumed they knew the basics. I was mortified. Two things I learned that day: just because you are the adult in the room doesn’t mean you can’t be wrong; always be clear with your expectations through modeling and practice. Did I ever make that mistake again? Yes, actually, I did, but in smaller ways. Was a student upset with me or the news this morning? Does talking in class mean they’re being intentionally disrespectful? Each time is a lesson, a more nuanced lesson perhaps, but I’m learning every day.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to educate students as the fully autonomous beings they are, rather than as “clay to be molded” into a prearranged pattern. Too often children and young adults are treated as though their minds, bodies, and lives are not their own. For young adults, it is particularly difficult in that they are gaining the responsibilities of adulthood without the freedoms that eventually come with it. I want their learning experience to reflect this development. If they need to excuse themselves from the classroom, then they have that freedom whether it be a restroom break, water break, or break break. If they have a subject they want to teach to the class or share with the class, fantastic! They can have the floor. If they want to sit quietly and communicate everything through their assignments and writing, wonderful! I make these adjustments with the adults in my life, why would I not extend the same curtesy to developing human beings? Education is an exchange of information; a conversation. True, I am older, so have usually read more books, but I am not the only voice in the room. I want my students to learn skill sets, not the ability to parrot. Critical Thinking, Compassion, and Creativity. Come be who you are.

Contact Info:

• Website: Hedgeschoolcoop.com
• Instagram: @hedgeschoolcoop
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HedgeSchoolCoop/
• Twitter: @DrFlynn1

Image Credits
Amanda Hovey