Blog

There aren’t any grades at Sudbury Valley School. No standardized tests. No portfolio reviews. No regular assessments. But that doesn’t mean that the kids haven’t devised their own ways to “measure their progress.” One of these ways is by mastering… Read more ›

The school has had few friends in its 47 years to rival Rick Burns. Actually, you can’t rival Rick – he is too much of an individual! Nominally, Rick is our roofer. That's how we met him. We were looking for a skilled slate roofer. Even over 30… Read more ›

I just remembered something, and very vividly. When prospective students and their families describe their days, their schools, or their camp experiences, the word "activity" pops up frequently. They ask about what “activities” students are involved… Read more ›

This post was written by our Office Manager, Jean Cote. Recently, I had the opportunity (privilege) to introduce a calculator in all its glory to a young, inquisitive student for (I don’t know it to be fact, but it seemed to be) her first time.… Read more ›

Last October, I traveled to Hong Kong to speak about SVS at a Conference dubbed EDiversity. Yes, you get it: diversity in education. I guess that’s one way for frustrated parents to address the high stakes, regimented curriculum, and aggressive… Read more ›

As a new staff member, working at this school has been a wonderful learning experience. It has allowed me to notice certain patterns and common occurrences within the school community. Witnessing them first hand is nothing short of spectacular. My… Read more ›

Aren’t they adorable, all those little munchkins, big munchkins, bigger than munchkins, playing in the snow? Isn’t it nice that the school has so many good sliding places? One can even slide right onto the middle of the pond—not usually an option,… Read more ›

   Last year Fall arrived on our campus with almost shocking force, with the trees, in particular, drawing attention to themselves. Though it was exhilarating to drive to school through showers of red and gold, it was also a bit sad,… Read more ›

Each year, the approach of December fills me with both eager anticipation and . . . dread. It is hard to make it through the Thanksgiving break without worrying about the coming month. Then December comes, and dough in quantities large enough to… Read more ›

The SVS library is making me so happy. I am much more of a reader than a collector of books, but libraries play a big role in my life. As a teenager, I skipped school a lot to go to the library to wander around the stacks. I was looking for… Read more ›

Our family moved to Framingham over six years ago, mostly so our children could attend Sudbury Valley School. When we were researching schools, my husband and I read every book we could find about SVS. My favorite is “Kingdom of Childhood,” the one… Read more ›

Parental involvement is a term that is used frequently in traditional education. It usually consists of things like volunteering in the classroom, participating in the PTO or chaperoning field trips. On a more insidious level, the involvement of… Read more ›

People regularly ask me how Sudbury Valley is preparing my kids for adulthood, and what they’re learning there. Early on, I would try to explain some of the things I thought my sons were learning. I now respond by saying that none of us really knows… Read more ›

Last June, I attended the SVS Moving On Ceremony, which is when the community comes together to celebrate the students who are ending their Sudbury Valley education and continuing on to other endeavors. Many have gone through the process to obtain a… Read more ›

When I was growing up, I cherished every opportunity not to go to school.  If I had a cold, I would play up the symptoms to get a day off. Snow days were manna from heaven. And so it was with my own children in public school. As parents with… Read more ›