Democratic Schooling has everything to do with empowering children to make decisions for themselves while also understanding and respecting the decisions of others. Children who develop these skills will continue to develop them into adulthood, and they will use them to create a more empathetic world.

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The seeds of Empathy School were sown a decade ago as my wife and I hitchhiked the world, learning how democratic education had taken shape in different cultures. Later, the roots of Empathy burrowed deep into the fertile soil that Harvard Graduate School of Education offered us. During the COVID-19 lock-down, as dark clouds of fear spanned the horizon, schools closed, and people fled. Empathy sprouted in Bali, Indonesia.

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To us, democratic schooling has everything to do with empowering children to make decisions for themselves while also understanding and respecting the decisions of others. Through Social Emotional Learning (SEL), a high level of freedom and self-discipline, and the creation of meaningful and immersive Project-Based Learning, students will gain leadership and citizenship skills.

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