The Village Classroom: Learning In Community Ecosystems, with Courtney Klein

In this episode, we explore the concept of All One Thing with visionary founder Courtney Klein. Born from a moment of parental frustration with traditional schooling, All One Thing is reshaping how we think about learning, working, and community building. Klein shares her journey from running a prototype called Sun School in Austin to developing a nationwide network of integrated learning and co-working spaces. This isn't just about education reform; it's a reimagining of how families can live, learn, and grow together in our rapidly changing world. Klein's approach challenges conventional wisdom, leveraging community assets to create vibrant, flexible learning environments that adapt to modern family needs.

Key Points:

1. The 'aha' moment: A 6-year-old's wisdom sparks an educational revolution
2. Sun School: Turning Austin into a citywide classroom
3. All One Thing: The evolution from prototype to nationwide vision
4. Repurposing community spaces: How rock climbing gyms become math classrooms
5. The art of community partnerships: Bakeries, architects, and beyond
6. Designing the impossible: Challenges in reimagining education
7. The distributed network model: Membership that travels with you
8. Bridging city and country: The "commune without commitment" concept
9. ASU Prep's innovative approach: Micro-schools on corporate campuses
10. The future vision: Unified family lifestyles and fluid community building

Quotes from Courtney:

1. "Our daughter asked me one night, 'Mommy, can you tell me a story about when you were a little girl and what you learned in school?' And I said, 'Sweetheart, I learned the same stuff you're learning.' She's like, 'What? That doesn't make any sense.'"
2. "We're building a distributed network of these everywhere so that families have fluidity. If I'm a member of All One Thing Los Angeles and I fly to Minneapolis for a meeting, I can take my kids with me on the work trip and they can drop into All One Thing and do some interesting classes while we're in town."
3. "I think there's a lot more people like you and I out there that want it. There are a lot of people that are looking for something that does not yet exist or exists in pockets... We have to disrupt how that happens."

Links Discussed:

1. ASU Prep Digital: https://www.asuprepdigital.org/
2. Wicked Workshop: https://www.wickedworkshop.org/
3. Live Near Friends: https://www.livenearfriends.com/
4. "Brave New Home" book (mentioned by Courtney)

Where to Find Courtney:

1. All One Thing website: https://allonething.xyz
2. All One Thing social media: @allonethingxyz