Lives of Passion, School of Hope: How One Public School Ignites a Lifelong Love of Learning - Softcover

This book describes how a progressive public school has transformed the lives of its alumni. It's the story of an extended family of students, staff and parents who have formed their own community of learners over the course of 38 years. This injection of heart, hope and passion into a public school demonstrates the place of personal growth in public education, and how it can inspire us to create a better world.

Dr. Fredric Posner began working for the public schools as a bus driver and custodian. He went on to become a special education teacher, consultant, and alternative school teacher and administrator. Receiving his Ph.D. in 1989, he established his expertise in the fields of self-directed learning and the modern rites-of-passage curriculum. During his time at Jefferson County Open School in Colorado, one of the longest standing public alternative schools in the world, he took students all over the globe, including the West Bank, Gaza and, when the Wall came down, to Berlin. Dr. Posner also taught a wide range of classes that reflect his eclectic personal passions, ranging from Willy Mays, James Joyce, and Muddy Waters to ethnic cooking and marathon running. He is a proud ?graduate? of the Open School (retired in 2001) who has maintained his penchant for lifelong learning by doing service work in Haiti and consulting for alternative schools around the world. Like so many of his fellow Open School alumni, Dr. Posner claims that the school saved his life.