15 of the World’s Weirdest Schools

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10 – Prostitution School,

10c

  • In Spain, prostitution is as legal as baking your neighbour a pie. In fact, there are currently as many as 400,000 working prostitutes in Spain. The number of pies is unknown.
  • Think all those prostitutes are low-lives from the streets who lack even a basic education? Well … not all of them are! Some are graduates from Trabajo Ya, a Valencian school that teaches students how to become the strong, confident working girls of tomorrow.
  • Classes at prostitute school involve both theory and practice, with students being taught highly practical things like the Karma Sutra, the dos and don’ts of sex toys, the history and evolution of prostitution and the admittedly less sexy Business 101.

9 – Free School,

9b

  • At Brooklyn Free School, learning is entirely self-motivated, with students setting the curriculum and taking any classes they want. They don’t even have to attend if they don’t feel like it. The inmates literally run this asylum!
  • Some students choose to do ‘independent studies’, which is staying in your room learning about weed and Nintendo. Others spend days wandering around, playing ball games or even napping. One class involves discussing TV shows while another has students comparing restaurants – then taking excursions to eat at those restaurants.
  • There are no tests, homework or grades, and all classes are run by students, with teachers only on hand to moderate and, presumably, to break up fights.
  • The school’s been criticised for its lack of a proper curriculum, but the super chill principal says every student just needs to find his or her own way, man.

8 – Naropa University,

8c

  • Nestled in the Colorado woodlands, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired alternative school for students who want a ‘contemplative education’. Students here take tai chi, yoga and mandatory meditation classes, and the school boasts the best synchronised meditation team in the country! Wait … what?
  • Degrees are offered in Buddhist studies, and students can attain super-useful certificates in theatre, peace studies and poetry. Don’t forget to try the course in wilderness therapy, which includes a class on vision quests. My spirit animal is a drunk, three-legged giraffe who wears sunglasses ’cause he’s always hungover.
  • Naropa University has a graduation rate of only nineteen percent. With these limited career prospects, life in your parents’ basement has never looked so good.
  • The institute once hosted lectures by the beat poet Allen Ginsberg, which the institute still won’t shut up about.

7 – No Rules School,

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  • The first rule of Burgess Hill School is … don’t make Fight Club references; the second rule is … rules are stupid and will not be permitted!
  • That’s right, at this suburban London school, students had the freedom to do absolutely anything they wanted! It made Brooklyn’s Free School look like a regimented nunnery.
  • Students here could smoke in class, bring in dogs or cats or even sharks, listen to rock and/or roll music, and ride their parents’ Harleys around campus. There was no dress code, so leather jackets and funky-coloured hair were in. Only rebels wore uniforms.
  • The school has since closed, but was considered very progressive in its 1960s heyday. Its graduates presumably went on to run the country.

6 – Ohio College of Clown Arts,

6b

  • Ah, the Ohio College of Clown Arts, where everyone’s a class clown. This institution is for actors who want to become versed in the art of physical comedy. It’s also for those with parents who want them to follow family tradition and become lawyers. Looking for an interesting way to rebel? Clown College has got your back!
  • Over thirty weeks, students learn about character development, physical skills and performing techniques. There are theoretical and practical exams, so study hard ’cause you don’t want to be the guy who flunked Clown College.
  • Graduates go on to work at circuses, fairs, children’s birthday parties and in horror movies.

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