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In Defense of Childhood: Protecting Kids# Inner Wildness
In Defense of Childhood Protecting Kids Inner Wildness Author:Chris Mercogliano A passionate essay by a maverick educator on the need to protect the unique spark?the "inner wildness"?that animates every child — As codirector of the Albany Free School, Chris Mercogliano has had remarkable success in helping a diverse population of youngsters find their way in the world. Lamenting risk-averse parents, overstructured school day... more »s, and a lack of playtime and solitude, Mercogliano argues that we are robbing our young people of "that precious, irreplaceable period in their lives that nature has set aside for exploration and innocent discovery," leaving them ill-equipped to face adulthood. The "domestication of childhood" squeezes the adventure out of kids' lives and threatens to smother the spark that animates every child. Mercogliano tells us how to protect children's exuberance, address their desperate thirst for knowledge, and give them space to explore what their place in the adult world might be.
"Mercogliano is, in effect, a cultural therapist . . . a purveyor of hope."
?Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia
"With deep insight, Mercogliano shows . . . how we can help young people break through conventional restraints and pursue their passions. This is a beautiful, searching, and inspiring book."
?William Crain, author of Reclaiming Childhood
"A very strong and attractive book."
?John Taylor Gatto, author of Dumbing Us Down« less