Blog
I recently asked that question of a 17 year old SVS student with whom I am good friends. I have trouble understanding the fact that several kids that I know very well who have one Jewish and one non-Jewish parent have made a conscious decision… Read more ›
When I was twelve years old, I got an electric guitar. It took a while, but I finally managed to learn a few simple position chords: A, D, and E Major. At that point, I found a bass player who could also play an A, a D, and an E. And together, we… Read more ›
When I was still a kid at SVS, Hanna, a staff member, would often ask me a question I never really knew how to answer. She'd ask, "Jesse, how did you develop such good language skills? You have such a large vocabulary, where did you learn it?" I… Read more ›
Last May, I visited the Fairhaven School to be a part of their Diploma Committee. So, I missed most of two days of school here at SVS. No matter how many times I go away, I'm never prepared for how it will feel when I return. In the abstract,… Read more ›
I never thought that skiing would test my commitment to the Sudbury Model. But, it did.
Every winter, the school offers two ski programs. Students who are eight or older can sign up to go to Wachusett Mountain once a week for six weeks. Every… Read more ›
When I was a kid, getting to school meant walking (a few miles, uphill both ways) or riding the bus (noisy, crowded, and filled with torment). And the worst part was that I had to endure these hardships to get to a place that I hated.
Sudbury Valley… Read more ›
Conversation is a key component of any culture, of how we develop and test our understanding of the world, and it is vital to working in concert with those around us. In 2001, Michael Greenberg presented a compelling description of the role of… Read more ›
It is so hard. The students at SVS are clearly extremely occupied. But what exactly are they doing? You want to take little pictures of it all because so many intense things are going on. But you can’t see most of those things. You can… Read more ›
One of the things I enjoy most about being an SVS parent is talking to prospective families at Open Houses. Not so long ago, our family was taking a tour, and I still remember the combination of hope and anxiety that filled me that afternoon. We… Read more ›
Most educators profess, as one of their goals, a desire to change the world. This has been trumpeted as a goal of educators for hundreds or even thousands of years, and is virtually a defining goal of modern education. The very words “change the… Read more ›
This afternoon I decide to spend some time outside. The weather is gorgeous and I’ve been inside all morning: making plans with a group of kids for Tie Dye Friday, staffing J.C., working with the Video Games Corp. as they write a motion to School… Read more ›
Ever since my older kids started at Sudbury Valley, I have faced the challenge of talking to “outsiders” about the school. Most people tend to be relatively polite and merely give me a quizzical look when I talk about how the school works.… Read more ›
Downhill skiing and snowboarding is a favorite activity in which about a third of the school’s population participates. As a consequence, ice skating has to wait until March. I love skiing and am not fond of skating. I hate the cold that seeps into… Read more ›
And now for a brief update of the sonic happenings in The Barn:
We are a Music Corp in transition and working out the acoustics of the hall is now front and center. After the Winter Show, there were a number of posts from parents regarding the… Read more ›
On the radio a couple of weeks ago, I heard a man talking about educational reform, and what they consider progress made with young children’s education in Illinois in recent years. He talked about a goal, which he called “agency." The… Read more ›