This week we're reading Chapter Five from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "Lessons from Sudbury Valley: Mother Nature Can Prevail in Modern Times." In this chapter, Gray shares insights from the Sudbury Valley School, a self-directed learning environment where students choose how to spend their time. He describes how, even without traditional classes or grades, children naturally develop critical skills like reading, problem-solving, and collaboration when given freedom and responsibility. We explore how the school’s democratic structure, where students have an equal voice in decision-making, fosters independence and respect. Gray argues that this model shows Mother Nature’s methods of curiosity, play, and social interaction can thrive even in today’s world. In our discussion, we connect these lessons to speech therapy, considering how creating space for choice and self-direction can empower children’s communication and growth.

We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub

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This week we're reading Chapter Four from Free to Learn by Peter Gray. In this chapter, Gray lays out what he calls the “seven sins” of our current education system, each one showing how forced schooling undermines children’s natural drives to learn. He critiques practices such as coercing children to work, segregating them by age, judging them through constant testing, and replacing curiosity with fear of failure. We talk about how these systemic issues can stifle creativity, motivation, and self-confidence in ways that affect children far beyond the classroom. Gray emphasizes that these “sins” are not flaws in individual teachers but are baked into the structure of the system itself. In our discussion, we reflect on how these themes connect to speech therapy, highlighting the importance of honoring children’s voices, autonomy, and unique learning paths.

We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're reading Chapter Three from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "Why Schools Are What They Are: A Brief History of Education." In this chapter, Gray traces the history of formal education and explains how schools developed to meet the needs of agricultural and industrial societies rather than children’s natural ways of learning. He shows how early schools emphasized obedience, memorization, and conformity, shaping students into disciplined workers rather than independent thinkers. We discuss how this model has carried into modern education, often clashing with what we know about play, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation. Gray highlights that many of today’s struggles in education stem from this outdated framework. In our conversation, we reflect on how understanding this history can help us reimagine learning environments that better support children’s growth and communication.

We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.