Kristan Accles Morrison
State University of New York Press
2007

In her brand-new book, Free School Teaching, Radford University Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations Dr. Kristan Morrison explores her personal and professional journey through an educational system that she feels is not running on all cylinders. Obviously an intriguing read for educators, or for those who might want to become educators, the book holds enough interest for those outside of the academy to be a pleasant read.

Morrison begins by contemplating her premise in the Preface of the book. Morrison writes, “Very few people, most particularly those who were the ‘winners’ in the school game, ever take the time to contemplate if our schooling experiences may have molded us in negative ways, ways that run counter to our society’s highest intellectual, political, and moral ideals.”

Noting that she was indeed such a “winner,” Morrison still asks the question, “Am I, or other ‘successful students,’ really okay? Or would I be a different, better person had it not been for how school shaped me?” While making her way through school with relative ease as a student, as a young teacher Morrison began to see more flaws in the system. She talks about grading, writing that what she “didn’t like about grades was that they turned the students’ focus away from learning and seeing school as a place in which ability could be developed and improved on, to one involving performance and just trying to look good on the surface so one could avoid negatives and reap positives.”

Realizing some problems but unsure of answers, Morrison immersed herself in educational literature and theory. While ideas on progressive education began to churn in her head, she wanted to see a first-hand example of a progressive model of education in action. Through her research, she discovered the Albany Free School in Albany, NY.

Morrison took time to study the Free School, keeping notes in a field journal and interviewing teachers. She realized that the school had a “very different setup” and a “very different curriculum.” After examining her experiences with the Free School, she allowed those experiences to transform her as a teacher and look for options to reform or revolutionize teaching in general.

With extensive notes and a solid bibliography, Morrison provides more details for those who want to delve further into this exploration of education. For those who simply want to take the book at face value, you can ignore the notes and bibliography and still feel that you’ve gained some knowledge about public education.

Tim W. Jackson likes to read books; he just unfortunately struggles finding the time to do that. He holds an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.