Belleville man wants to bring Socratic education to area

By Liam Radford

BELLEVILLE – A Belleville father and entrepreneur is looking to open a school here that will teach children using the Socratic method. 

Greg Sheldon talks about his plans for the school and encourages others, if they are interested, to check out his Facebook page for more information. Photo courtesy of Greg Sheldon

Greg Sheldon says that he would like to open a school based on the Acton Academy in Austin, Texas. It uses the Socratic method which is different from traditional teaching.  The Socratic method involves a conversation in which a student is asked to question their assumptions. It is a forum for open-ended inquiry, one in which both student and teacher use probing questions to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. It’s based on the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. It also features small class sizes.

The Acton Academy, started by Jeff and Laura Sanderfer, has got some attention, with schools following the method being founded around the world. There are four in Ontario. 

Sheldon, who’s  34, and has worked in the trades for most of his life, and founded a start-up company in Belleville. Five years ago he heard about this method of education and now that he has a young son, Sheldon says he is preparing for his education.

“Your never ready, so I just decided to do this school thing. Because my son is two and he will be ready to go to school soon. I figured it was the time to do it. Plus there are some issues in the school system, from what I have heard,” Sheldon said.

He says he had problems when he went to school and that he was bored with most of his schooling. He says he wants a different style of education for his son, and that a method that focuses on questions and self direction would be ideal.

“I believe that asking questions is the key to anything in life. If you don’t ask you don’t get,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon said his Belleville-area school would be called Marvel Academy. He is reaching out to parents in the community and said that so far he has two interested families and has a survey to see if there is more demand for such school. So far his Facebook page has 63 followers, and Sheldon says it has reached 10,000 people.

His idea for a school like this is still in the very early stages, and along with finding families to attend he is looking for educators with experience in this type of education. He said he does not really have the experience for himself and wants to have a role as a facilitator.

His plan is for the school to run as a non-profit private school. In Ontario, the Ministry of Education says that a private school must meet certain criteria and register with the ministry.

Private schools must run classes between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any school day. They must have five or more students of compulsory school age, six to 18, and they must be educated in any of the elementary school courses of study.

Sheldon said that he wants to get at least eight students and open the school within the next three years, but that he is still a long way off.