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 ›
Blog
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 ›
The other day, I walked into the Dance Room Quiet Room to say “good morning” to my friends there. As I entered, I spotted Fiona holding a delicate stuffed bird in her hand, strikingly colorful and beautiful. I asked her what its name was. She… 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 ›
If you’ve never heard of Minecraft, I’m guessing you live under a rock. Or maybe just off the grid. Or more likely, you don’t spend much time around kids of any age.
According to its maker, Mojang, Minecraft is “a game about breaking and placing… Read more ›
Sudbury Valley has no bells announcing times and few clocks on the walls, but everyone seems to know when noon arrives. Noon, after all, is when The Concession opens, and The Concession is where everyone can buy whatever snacks and cold… Read more ›
When the film “Race to Nowhere” was released in 2009, it was received with both a collective gasp of shock and a world-weary nod of recognition from thousands of parents, teachers, and school administrators. The film examined the pressure-cooker… Read more ›
Welcome, readers, to the first post of the official Sudbury Valley School blog.
Until now, we’ve relied on the usual channels to spread the word about everything from the Sudbury model of education to school news and events. But earlier this year,… Read more ›