Understanding the School Experience and Life Characteristics of Miso Alternative School Graduates

Objectives In this study, I aimed to represent the school curriculum image from the memories of graduates of an alternative school that has passed 20 years and analyze it for the purpose of understanding their lives based on that image. Methods As a qualitative research case study, in an alternative school, I selected one teacher and nine graduates as participants. I described, analyzed, and interpreted the school experiences and memories of current life from the teacher and graduates, focusing on the images and sustainability of the schooling in terms of meaning. Results In the school curriculum the participants lived a unique daily life that pursued independence, aimed to being together in a community capable of ecological circulation, and purposed to have ability of self-directed learning. They faced challenges during the high school years when trying to enter mainstream society, experienced conflicts between academic life and reality during university, and attempted to live by participating in society in their own way. Conclusions The experiments conducted by the specific alternative school had both positive and negative impacts on the lives of the graduates. In their lives, there were efforts to attain agency, and they were striving to find their own ways to overcome the barriers of reality. It became evident that the educational curriculum of the alternative school under study was another form of school that conveyed specific values and ideologies.