My family moved to Ojai in 1980, when I was eleven. The main reason was to escape Los Angeles. We had tried moving to the suburbs, but they came with the same awful schools. LA Unified made a controversial decision that would directly affect our everyday lives, so my parents paid for two years of private school for my sister and me. I remember being told that moving to Ojai should bring nicer public schools, thus saving my parents money. We loved the small-town, countryside atmosphere and were happy to move.
Unfortunately, the schools there did not live up to the fantasy. After two years of public school, I could take no more. My seventh-grade year was the least inspiring, most awful year of school I ever had. Junior high was the land of dittos and random informational filmstrip screenings. One teacher tried not to get up from her chair! It was hard to make friends since no one cared about school or learning at all. My mother and I looked for options and found a small, private, progressive school called The Oak Grove School.
The campus was beautiful, the classes were tiny (no more than 12 students), and the whole place exuded calm. This was not a place to simply relax, though! Founded in 1975 by Jiddu Krishnamurti, this was a place to DO learning instead of passively receiving it. A place to engage our minds in deep discussion, our bodies in yoga, and our innermost being in learning who we are and how to relate to others.
It would not be an overstatement to say that this place transformed me. When I arrived at age 13, I had been refusing to go to school, unable to speak up for myself outside the home, and feeling isolated from others. At Oak Grove, my voice and choices mattered. We were asked what we thought about things. Teachers supported me in becoming part of the group. I soon became one of the school’s most enthusiastic supporters and, sometimes, its most vocal critic.
There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
Some specifics I experienced included classes in beautiful spaces (both outdoors and in lovely cottage-style buildings), tiny classes (usually 2 - 8 students back then), written feedback in addition to grades, a lot of traveling together, being on a first-name basis with teachers who genuinely respected us, and mixed-grade groups instead of single grade levels.
On a few occasions, I thought we were going “off mission,” and I practically demanded an explanation. Although I had vaguely considered becoming a teacher, this place was where my deep interest and passion for education began. Some key aspects I try to speak about and bring to education today are autonomy for children and teachers, incorporating outdoor spaces, bringing beauty to indoor spaces, and - perhaps most importantly - encouraging children to think deeply and express their natural curiosity.
Do you like the sound of this? With some reflection, many aspects can be applied to any school or homeschool.
*The Oak Grove School is located in Ojai, California. I am a proud high school alumna, class of 1986. To learn more about them, visit their website at:
Dear Beth,
a friend of mine who is a poet went to a Krishnamurti Foundation school in India - Ragjat Besant.
Adelaide
Love this -- taking a trip down a beautiful and transformative memory lane!