Michael
He/Him

Each time you write a bio of yourself they're a little bit different…Not just because more has occurred but because you are a little bit different and your perspective is that much finer or nuanced…Anyway, hello! Who am I? As you can already tell, I am a thinker and wonderer--sometimes a wanderer. I'm imaginative and empathetic, idealistic and pragmatic; both an indoors and outdoors mouse; a scientist, philosopher, and, infrequently, jester.

Michael August grew up and has lived most of his life in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. His formal studies have included fine art with a focus on photography, as well as library and information science. Informally, he has been studying alternative education practices for more than a decade, with a particular interest in spaces for Self-Directed Education and the nature of educational paradigms. What has formerly been purely theoretical, Michael has been seeking to make more practical and communal; in the last few years he attended a number of alt-ed conferences, has since become the Resource Directory Curator at the Alliance for Self-Directed Education, and, most notably in his opinion, is now an Agile Learning Facilitator at Wildwood ALC.

In the short term, Michael's aim is to understand and assist liberatory learning and living; for the long term, it is to catalyze and promote the shift in cultural norms that would make alternative ed the new convention that is familiar and accessible to everyone.

 Whether at Wildwood or elsewhere, you are likely to find Michael reading, reflecting, tinkering, strolling, watching a movie, playing a game (of whatever media), or enjoying a donut.