Blog

The school year has started with a bang! Students and staff are excited for activities and work to begin. The amount of fundraisers we recently had is a good indication of it! Now that it is the beginning of October, all of the corporations for the… Read more ›
The following two scenes were unfolding recently on the different ends of one of the low red tables in the playroom, around lunchtime. On the one end, close to me, Josie sat down with her tablet and a snack, joined in quick succession by Nell on one… Read more ›
I love chocolate and eat a piece after lunch and dinner. Pretty much religiously. In the beginning of the year, I used to pack a few pieces to last me the week. Well, Dillon, Elise and Sophie quickly realized I did. They are so charming and cute I… Read more ›
“You know that moment when you are playing bass and it's like surfing?” Sadly, I don’t, but I sure wish I did, because judging from the glowing expression of the student I overheard saying this, it must be great. The recent music show helped me… Read more ›
Today I was engrossed in contemplating how difficult it is to tell the “bad guys” from the “good guys”. I have had that trouble since I was a little girl watching cowboy movies. It wasn’t that I didn’t have some clue that Roy Rogers, or the Lone… Read more ›
During February break, I took the opportunity to visit the Fairhaven School in Maryland, one of our sister schools. I am so glad I did! It brought key aspects of our work at Sudbury into sharp focus for me, and I returned to our school energized and… Read more ›
It was one of those days that everyone was having so much fun, no one remembered to take many pictures. The day was wonderful from the very beginning to the very last second. A day in which the dilemma that was encountered was where to eat dinner.… Read more ›
During the last Open House, in October of 2015, there was a remarkable interaction. It didn't surprise me, but it greatly pleased me. Unfortunately, I don't think the guests who were with me had enough context for what they saw to appreciate it.… Read more ›
It wasn’t even an eventful day. Yet things happened that stood out, as always. First there was a relatively innocuous moment that started the day. It seems that the people who run the daily concession had found an innovative way to store some of the… Read more ›
Food serves as a major aspect of life at SVS. Of course, everyone in the world loves food; however, here it takes on a life of its own. The minute students arrive, they are eating or talking about food. Trading and sharing food items are a daily… Read more ›
A school without students is not really a school. While beautiful and quiet, SVS during the summer can be a bit melancholy, like an empty husk. Hot and humid days don’t make it much better. Yes, summer can be a good time to get things done, and it’s… Read more ›
In May, the Sudbury schools in Europe usually get together at one of their schools for a few days of deep conversing and even deeper collegiality building. Mostly staff attend these conferences, but some students who are particularly interested in… Read more ›
A young girl of nine or ten asked me to teach her math. I gave her some problems which she enjoyed doing. Next day she came to me with many sheets of paper covered with similar problems which she made for herself and then solved. She is obviously… Read more ›
This week’s post comes from a presentation given by three SVS parents in November, 1998. How do you parent a child who is having a school experience totally different from your own? I can't really refer to William as a child anymore, now that he is… Read more ›
This week's post was originally published as an essay in the Sudbury Valley School Journal (November, 2007) I.  There are three activities everybody does regardless of culture: make music, decorate things, and talk. Talking, making music… Read more ›