Logan LaPlante is one rad young dude! For being barely a teenager he knows a lot about what he wants out of life and first and foremost that is to be happy. Logan believes that health and happiness should be deeply connected with a person's education. He attributes "happiness" to eight ideas that have been studied and established by Dr. Roger Walsh.
These eight ideas, known as "TLCs", need to be made a priority says LaPlante. So he and his family have chosen an alternate means of education in order to make health and happiness and major part of education and daily life. He calls this type of education "hackschooling". Don't be confused though. He explains, hacking is not what it is stereotyped to be. Hackers don't have to be computer hackers, they can hack anything in life by challenging the way things are. According to LaPlante, hackers are innovators that challenge and change "the system". And he tells us that the world needs more of this "hacker mindset". He describes hackschooling as a remix or a mashup. Schooling should be something that you are "stoked on" he tells the audience. If I went to school like Logan does, I think I would definitely be stoked on it.
Logan LaPlante takes his greatest passion, skiing, and incorporates it into what he is reading, writing, and studying in school. Even his math and business classes are connected to skiing and ski apparel design. All of his education involves the community around him and also allows him to spend time in nature. He does not attend school in a typical building, but his classes are out in the world. He has one class a week that is literally outside in the elements for the entire day where he learns survival skills. I guess my biggest question is how can we make Logan's version of hackschooling a reality for all kids? I know first hand that having skiing as a passion is a very expensive passion to have. It also cannot be cheap to have an instructor taking a small group out into the wilderness and teaching them survival skills for one day a week. I wonder who the instructors are? Parents? Volunteers? People the family has hired? I love the big idea of hackschooling but have a feeling that such an incredible opportunity is only available for students with the means or students with parents who are willing to advocate for them. I love the overarching theme of the Tedtalk which was happiness. More specifically, connecting happiness and health to schools. I also loved learning about the eight TLCs and would like to spend more time studying Roger Walsh.
- exercise
- diet & nutrition
- time spent in nature
- contribution and service
- relationships
- recreation
- relaxation and stress management
- religious and spiritual beliefs
These eight ideas, known as "TLCs", need to be made a priority says LaPlante. So he and his family have chosen an alternate means of education in order to make health and happiness and major part of education and daily life. He calls this type of education "hackschooling". Don't be confused though. He explains, hacking is not what it is stereotyped to be. Hackers don't have to be computer hackers, they can hack anything in life by challenging the way things are. According to LaPlante, hackers are innovators that challenge and change "the system". And he tells us that the world needs more of this "hacker mindset". He describes hackschooling as a remix or a mashup. Schooling should be something that you are "stoked on" he tells the audience. If I went to school like Logan does, I think I would definitely be stoked on it.
Logan LaPlante takes his greatest passion, skiing, and incorporates it into what he is reading, writing, and studying in school. Even his math and business classes are connected to skiing and ski apparel design. All of his education involves the community around him and also allows him to spend time in nature. He does not attend school in a typical building, but his classes are out in the world. He has one class a week that is literally outside in the elements for the entire day where he learns survival skills. I guess my biggest question is how can we make Logan's version of hackschooling a reality for all kids? I know first hand that having skiing as a passion is a very expensive passion to have. It also cannot be cheap to have an instructor taking a small group out into the wilderness and teaching them survival skills for one day a week. I wonder who the instructors are? Parents? Volunteers? People the family has hired? I love the big idea of hackschooling but have a feeling that such an incredible opportunity is only available for students with the means or students with parents who are willing to advocate for them. I love the overarching theme of the Tedtalk which was happiness. More specifically, connecting happiness and health to schools. I also loved learning about the eight TLCs and would like to spend more time studying Roger Walsh.