Episode 15: Anthony Galloway, Jr. - a podcast by Amanda Shipley, DPT, MTC

Do you have a hard time figuring out what makes you happy? How would our children's lives be different if they had practice answering that very question from a young age instead of being told what to learn, what to do, and when to do it? In this episode Amanda talks with Anthony Galloway Jr., the co-founder of Heartwood ALC in Atlanta, GA to learn about self-directed education (SDE). We think you will find the conversation interesting and eye-opening! We review what SDE is and why it is important. We learn what SDE looks like at Heartwood and how a normal day flows. Does SDE mean a child does whatever they want? Are there any rules or boundaries? Anthony debunks some common myths about SDE that may surprise you. Whether you're looking for another school option for your family or if you're just curious about this model, listen with an open mind to learn more about this exciting choice for education.

Anthony Galloway Jr. co-nurtures the community at Heartwood Agile Learning Center. In undergrad, Anthony imagined an education space where young people were excited to be there and their learning was driven by their own interests. Only a year later, in graduate school, he realized he also no longer wanted to be part of the problems he saw with conventional education- especially those educational structures that threaten social justice for Black & Indigenous People of Color and some socioeconomic classes. Heartwood ALC, the school he co-founded, is now in its third year of operations and is growing everyday. There Anthony facilitates self-directed education through modeling the types of communication and conflict-resolution skills that help self-directed young people build emotional intelligence and confident self-governance. He enjoys introducing and leading engaging projects and activities where young people opt-in to interdisciplinary learning experiences. Each day Anthony and his students get to answer Howard Thurman's question, "what makes you come alive?" and each day they get to go do it.

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