Existentialism Schools for better or worse?

How does Existentialism benefit a classroom?

The existentialist curriculum often emphasizes the importance of humanities as a meaning of providing students with various experiences that will help them with their creativity and self-expression. Existentialist learning is self-paced, self-directed, and includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher. Honest interpersonal relationships are emphasized; the roles of teachers to students become equal.  . Existentialists believe education should be about helping each of us answer the fundamental questions: Why am I here? What is my purpose?

What is Existentialism?

Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the subjectivity of human experience.  A way to view existentialism is that every individual is the subject of his or her own reality, and no two realities are the same.   Experts believe the founder of existentialism was Soren Kierkegaard.  Existentialists believe that each person needs to define their life's meaning. To become an authentic individual, one who values and practices free choice  must struggle free of the influences of their parents, teachers, schools, religion, and culture

Where is an Existentialism school?

There is an existentialism school nearby; it is called Sudbury Valley School which is just outside of Boston, Massachusetts.  It’s a   fully accredited school, and the majority of Sudbury Valley's graduates have continued on to college. The school accepts anyone from 4-year-olds to adults and charges low tuition, not to exclude anyone.  Different from regular schools, evaluations or grades are given only on request. A high school diploma is awarded to those who complete relevant requirements, which mainly focus on the ability to be a responsible member of the community at large. Sudbury Valley provides an opportunity, but each student must decide what to do with that opportunity. Students are fully trusted to make their own decisions about learning. The school's purpose is to build on the students' natural curiosity, based on the belief that authentic learning takes place only when students initiate it. The school operates on the premise that all its students are creative, and each should be helped to discover and nurture his or her individual talents. All ages mix freely, with no discernible grade level for any activity. It is said to be that it is even difficult to locate the teachers, and if there is a curriculum activity going on, it is difficult to detect.

What do I think?

I think having an existentialism school would be very different from a regular school. The school allows students to take charge of their own education. I don’t think most teenagers would want to peruse their own education, perhaps if their parents were existentialist and in forced it in the house growing up then it would make more since. I don’t think a student who hasn’t heard of existentialism before, start attending a school like that would benefit at all.  In a regular school I think the most classes that emphasizes existentialism is an art, music, or an English/ creativity class.