The Antioch School, founded in 1921 by Arthur Morgan (1878-1975) and located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is the first school in the United States to follow a democratic style of learning, meaning that each student’s learning is self-directed, with teachers being there to provide the basic groundwork and structure to allow each student to learn, while being able to express themselves, find what interests them, and discover what styles of learning are best for them, but never imposing their own views on the students, or confining them to a set path of learning. In a 2022 Dayton Daily News article about the Antioch School, Nathan Summers, the current school administrator, says, “Children are seen as full human beings with their own needs and desires. We meet them where they are, and each makes their own path” (Bishop). Lila Rose Jensen, a former student whose daughter currently attends the school, also says. “A strong underpinning of the whole school is trusting kids that they know what is good for them and what they need, and celebrating who a kid is” (Bishop). While working as a teacher’s aide at The Antioch School, I can definitely say that the school delivers on both these claims.
The Antioch School primarily has four learning groups broken down by age: Nursery, which works with 3 ½-5 years olds, focuses on providing an environment to stoke children’s innate curiosity and social interactions. Kindergarten works with 5-6-year-olds and encourages exploration and play while slowly developing reading and writing skills. Younger Group (YG) works with 6-9-year-olds. It focuses on group and independent learning, play, and responsibility while working on more structured assignments. Order Group (OG) works with 9 – 12-year-olds and focuses on delving into various academic subjects, developing interests, and preparing them for more structured academics after graduation. Lastly, there is Art and Science, which works with each group throughout the week.
The daily schedule varies for each learning group, depending on the time of year, the students, and special events or activities, but typically consists of multiple set free/activity times throughout the day for the students to play, socialize, rest, or work on activities or projects that interest them, and lesson/work times where students focus on more academic work. When it comes to academic work, the school doesn’t teach the students through traditional tests and grades. Instead, it focuses on working with each student individually at their own pace and tracking their progress through careful observation, and open communication between students, teachers, and parents. While this might seem lax and open to error or inefficient, it truly works. As shown in the previous quotes, a significant part of the school’s mission and foundation is respecting and trusting the students to know what they need and what’s good for them. The most prominent example of this in the school is the teaching of conflict resolution to students. This is done through what the school calls “meetings.” Students or teachers can call meetings with individuals or groups to discuss things that have made them uncomfortable. The teachers make it a point to help teach the students how to voice their opinions without stifling what they’re trying to say or the other person’s point of view. In general, though the teachers try to let the students manage their own meetings, unless it is a major issue, or if the students involved request it themselves. This mindset and the smaller multi-age classroom setting allow teachers to form close ties with each of their students and their families, allowing for a deeper relationship, better observations, and a positive educational experience for all parties.
As a teacher’s aide, I primarily work with Sally Dennis, the current OG teacher, in the morning and Lindie Keaton, who teaches Kindergarten, in the afternoon. When working in the OG classroom, my regular responsibilities include assisting students with their weekly math and vocabulary work packets, helping prepare materials, and monitoring students during work and free time to make sure they’re following generally appropriate behavior that typically Involves the standards of physical contact, and noise levels. In Kindergarten, I help monitor students during their various lesson and activity times, which is similar to free time with slightly more regulations and monitoring involved. This typically involves making sure that students tell Lindie or me their plan whenever they’re changing activities or locations and that they’re playing safely with each other and their surroundings. I also help them when they’re trying to read or write. Lastly, I help set up activities and keep the room clean.
I chose to work at The Antioch School because I am interested in pursuing a career in psychology as a therapist or education as a teacher. In either case, I knew I might want to work with younger children. The fact that The Antioch School was not only an elementary school but was also a democratic school focused on open communication and student autonomy made it the perfect ground to explore all my interests at once and potentially help me narrow down the direction of my future career. I can honestly say that working at The Antioch School has far exceeded any of my expectations. When I first heard about the democratic school system, it sounded fascinating, but I couldn’t fully grasp its actual structure or application, which left me both nervous and excited. When I started observing and practicing open dialogue with students through meetings, I was amazed at the students’ maturity, even at 5-6 years old, and the methods used by the teachers to make sure that each side was being respected and heard while purposely not being an oppressing or deciding factor in the conversations. Through trying it out myself, I learned that it takes an incredible amount of patience and skill to navigate and oversee these meetings because, to an adult, these issues seem trivial or simple. Still, to these kids, they are much bigger problems. However, guiding people in self-discovery and advocacy while not forcing one’s own opinion on the situation are exactly the skills I need to practice as an aspiring therapist.
Additionally, I have had to learn to improve my ability to read and predict what people might need to feel comfortable. This includes who I need to monitor more closely during free time to make sure that they are acting safely, and who or what might impact their ability to do so, and also during lessons, where each student has unique needs when it comes to how I help them, without impeding their learning or causing them to immediately turn to me for answers. This is another excellent skill to have as a therapist or teacher. Lastly, working with several kids of different age groups gives me ideas of the age range I might want to work with and the skills to help multiple people at once. I am so thankful that I got the chance to work at The Antioch School. I truly wish everyone could experience being a student or teacher here. Thanks to the outstanding teachers, staff, and students who make it what it is, I have had an amazing experience that will undoubtedly guide me in my career and how I live my life.
Works Cited
Bishop, London. “Antioch School in Yellow Springs Celebrates 100 Years.” Dayton-daily-news, 1
Apr. 2022,
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