Educational Influencers

Here's my incomplete list of educational influencers. I wrote a Master's Thesis years ago on "Why Parent's Homeschool," hence Summerhill. Crazy man. But his school and ideas are still going strong, thanks to his dd. Different strokes. And, too, he was creating a liberated space in a stuffy and staid culture. Instilling a clear sense of freedom is a lot of what I'm about too. I've read most of the books many of the following folks have written. And many of them have web-sites, resources, pod-casts and on-line stores. They all have something to add to your life as an educator.  Dig in. Enjoy!

Calvert- A Child's History of the World. Christian culture despite personal beliefs. The time-line of history as a framework for life.

G.H. Henty- Age of exploration. Find the joy in history. Facts are dazzling diamonds, so it doesn't matter if they are set into the same mold time and again.
Montessori- Kids are not mini adults. Ages and stages, uninterrupted blocks of time to focus, discovery model.
Charlotte Mason- Education is a Atmosphere, a discipline, a life.

Summerhill - Freedom from coercion and repressive cultural ideas; free expression; believe in kids ability to want to learn.

Bill Cosby- Media as a teaching tool, laughter as a teaching tool, example as a teaching tool. Be present. Be cool.
John Holt- Allow your child to follow thier passions and develop their personhood. Life is learning, learning is life. Play is a child's work.
Grace Llewellyn- Liberation. Throw off the shackles.
HSLDA- Strength in numbers- parental rights (vs. state rights).
Colfaxes- We are shaped by the work that we do;  back to the land, live pro-actively, excellence in education.
Raymond and Dorothy Moore- Delight directed education; lay a firm foundation, the importance of basics. Better late than early.
Blumenfeld- Fundamentals of education, lay  a firm foundation; don't expect government to truly educate our country's youth.
Sonlight Curriculum- Literature and Bible based teaching are a powerful combination.
Gentle Spirit- What do you have in your hand? Understand, establish and work with the seasons of life.
Joyce Herzog- to really understand something, start your research in the children's section of the library.
Mary Pride- The hand that rocks the cradle, rocks the world.
Hugh Ross- Science and Theology are beautiful bed-fellows. Intellect and faith go hand in hand.
John Taylor Gatto- Be proactivee. Craft something beautiful despite the norms that seek to entangle you.
Mary Hood- Learning centers, discovery learning.
Above Rubies- Establish a legacy.
Joyce Swann- Accelerated education.
Greg Harris- Establish your kids vocationally; do hard things; live out-loud.
Diana Waring- Joy in the journey, laugh out loud.
Greenleaf Press Press- 4 year history cycle, academic excellence.
Jim Weiss- The power of story-telling
Andrew Pudewa- Power of language; find the expert; give the kids as much help as they need; distill the difficult into simple. Master teachers and excellent curriculum rock.
Robinson Curriculum- Different seasons demand different methodologies; stick with the vision and make the curriculum work for you. The basics ware gonna get you through the night, baby.
Timberdoodle- Toys with a purpose; imaginative, active play; discovery of the world through art, building, creation.
Usborne books- The power of graphics; thinking skills made fun.
Marilyn Howshall-  Lifestyle of learning. Get one.
Beautiful Feet- Unit studies; the joy of connections.
Sally Clarkson- Sympathize with the heart of your child.
Barb Shelton- Delight directed, vocationally oriented. Record-keeping and organization, how to create a course.
Cindy Rushon- Notebooking; journaling with an academic purpose.
Apologia- Textbook as lecture.
The Well Trained Mind- Eat an elephant one bite at a time. Have a vision that incorporates depth and width. Expect more from your kids and from yourself.
Latin Centered Curriculum- Depth vs. Width; simplify, stick with the basics; go far.
Classical Conversations- Train the brain to retain; grammar, dialectic and rhetoric stages.
Logos Academy/ Doug Wilson- The power of doctrine; living according to a clarion call; cclassical ed.
TeenPact- Age doesn't matter in your ability to do great things for God. There is something unique about where you live right now. What/how does God want you to know/do about it?
The New Global Student- the world is (or could be) your classroom.
Marva Collings- Become the teacher you wished you'd had. Know your stuff. Know more. Classical ed, baby, by a class act.
Rafe Esquith- The power of discipline, the arts and passion. Pursue sponsors for what you know to do.
University Model Schools- Combining the strength of homeschooling with the power of community. Win-win.

Who is on your list? Who did I miss?