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Community
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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 ›
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At Sudbury Valley, we often celebrate weddings. Some are simple impromptu games, and others are elaborate ceremonies, like the one we had in mid-September outdoors on the back lawn, on a beautiful bright day. What I liked about this wedding was the… Read more ›
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We’ve all been brought up on the old adage, “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” The point of this well-worn piece of ancient wisdom is simple: don’t judge the reality of a situation from its outward appearance. Even if you are put off (or… Read more ›
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Welcome to the new school year. We are more excited than ever about starting school this year and about (okay, I admit it) the incredible quality of the student body. Yes, we have new and visiting students, and yes they may only make it better, but… Read more ›
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My purpose in writing is to help parents who are thinking about Sudbury Valley School. Those parents who are attracted to this model for their children need to provide them with the support that will make their SVS experience most effective. They do… Read more ›
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This year we had a three-week summer session at Sudbury Valley, open to those who were regular students during the school year. It is hard to explain how lovely it was. I don’t think there were more than 15 or 16 kids for any of the three weeks, and… Read more ›
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From the point of view of a brand new student, the school is an astonishing (if sometimes overwhelming) place. The freedom to manage one’s own time is generally the first aspect of the school noticed, and it is what attracts a new student first.
The… Read more ›
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In 1850 the noted French economist Frederic Bastiat wrote a famous essay with the same title, and with a very insightful point: lots of times there are situations where we have no trouble seeing their good side, but don’t think about another side,… Read more ›
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Sometimes what you wish for has consequences that you wished would not bother you. A case in point is the way SVS students who enrolled when they were very young tend to grow up to be persistent -- and capable of getting what they want.
So, quite… Read more ›
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Private schools host Open Houses to attract new families. We started having them about 10 years ago - a little late to the game, because we had been using a host of other methods to spread the word and bring in new students. But we figured: everyone… Read more ›
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When new students arrive on our campus and I volunteer to show them around, there are some SVS basics I always hit on.
I tell them no staff can give them a detention here like they can at their traditional school. I tell them no one will force them… Read more ›
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Hanging the photo exhibit on Friday, January 24th proved to be an exhilarating experience for me.
It goes without saying that the photos are varied in their subjects, beautiful and interesting. What else would one expect from kids at SVS? They are… Read more ›
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Maybe my memory is foggy but never do I remember the ice on our pond being as perfect as it was the week of January 6. On Tuesday, we were all, young and old, stuck inside as the “polar vortex” kept the wind chill dangerous.
The next day was still… Read more ›
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Not so many of us are here at 8:30. Just enough for a gentle but lively start to the day. But when I retreat to the office to pick up some tasks from the day before, or tackle some new ones, there is Dana playing magically on the piano. Kyle, Hanna… Read more ›
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I often ask myself why I am so enamored of the December ritual of making gingerbread houses (and trees) at Sudbury Valley. It is a big deal! Everyone has to put a lot of work into it. Not everyone in the school, but a much wider cross-section than… Read more ›