Sudbury School News From Around the World

by David Linder, Clearwater parent Warning, the following post includes language some people don't like--and stories of kids using such language. One rainy day on our way out the door, I heard my 10-year-old yell, "Shit!" from outside. I quickly went to look what happened. Turns out he had been balancing two boxes of Yu-Gi-Oh cards on top of a binder. It was raining and the boxes slipped and

by Susan Milton, Clearwater parent   Barefoot Zoe with Jackie and Johnna One thing that makes me feel happy every time I arrive at The Clearwater School is that I don't have to put on shoes to go and find my kids, and that I often see at least one or two barefoot kids right away as I walk through the parking lot.    Maddy's walking feet Shoes are required at most schools,

Scene from an early rehearsal For the first time in The Clearwater School's 17-year history, a group of Clearwater students is producing and offering public performances of a full-length play. You are cordially invited to attend a performance, scheduled between Thursday, May 30 and Sunday, June 2.  Screenwriter (Jesse) and supporting actress (Lily) interact while the cinematographer (

mother ship:

noun

a vessel or craft that services others operating far from a home port or center.

Fairhaven School, like all of our sister schools, calls itself a Sudbury school because we have always been affiliated with Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts (“SVS” to many of its students, a “mother ship” to all of us.) Theirs is the largest and the oldest institution operating like we do, and our adoption of their model has always been explicit. Our founders and staff members have attended numerous conferences at SVS over the years, and Fairhaven School staff members have served on SVS diploma committees.  We have hosted SVS exchange students, and we call the Sudbury Valley office often with questions.  In numerous ways, our fiercely independent school relies upon them. Indeed, we are among the “others operating far from a home port,” and that home port is Sudbury Valley School.

So it is with much excitement and pride that we announce that Sudbury Valley School now has a blog! We encourage anybody who is interested in Fairhaven School and its educational philosophy to follow the SVS blog. Already they have published lovely, insightful posts on a variety of topics, including one of our students’ favorite games, Minecraft, and the crucial idea of agency as it relates to education.

Link to the SVS blog here.

It's time again for Whistlepig, The Clearwater School's fundraising festival of music, food and games. And this weekend...there WILL be sun and heat! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo or the fact that it's a gorgeous day and join us on Sunday, May 5, 1:00-5:00 pm. There will be wonderful performances by students and staff, homemade carnival games, great food and the most delicious baked good you can

At our recent Alumni Parent Panel, the panelists reflected not only on their children’s process, but on their own process. I left that evening’s discussion with a sense that choosing a Sudbury school education for your children requires a willingness on the part of parents to let go, to trust, to listen.  As alumna parent Pat Everret reveals:

“It did make me more aware. It forced me to be more accepting of what my daughter was the way she was… I wasn’t as bent on thinking my way was right, which, I’m guilty of. And I just had to step back and realize, step back and listen… you have to step back and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, it’s time for me to listen more.’ And I had to do a lot of that growing, I’m still trying to do it. But, you know, you’ve got to give them a lot more… I had to give them a lot more faith than I was inclined to at the beginning. I’m still working on it..”

Choosing Fairhaven School also requires faith and trust in your child, as alumni parent Robin Rice advises current parents:

“I would say, trust your child… I don’t want to sound overly fantastical, but I really believe that every child has a genius in them. And they know how to find it if they’re allowed to find it. And they will tell you what it is… they will tell you what they want and they will tell you what they need. And if you listen they’ll find their way… The more I tried to make my agenda the agenda the less it worked, and the more it worked to listen and follow and trust. And it is hard to trust sometimes, it is hard to trust what you see. But ... Read More

At The Clearwater School, children are trusted with the freedom and responsibility to direct their own education. Without grades, groupings by age or mandatory tests, children engage wholeheartedly in their passions, and find their own standards of success. Students spend years setting and achieving their personal goals, becoming resourceful, self-confident and skilled adults with a commitment to

by Shawna Lee photos by Matt Garrity In January, Clearwater staff member Matt Garrity, also a musician and 17th Chapter front man, heard from friend and music producer, Christian Hansen, that he needed two young people  to perform in a professional music video for the London-based duo, Still Corners. Matt offered to find a boy and girl from The Clearwater School to be in the video. He asked

The Clearwater School presents a free public presentation and discussion, "The Practice of Parenting: Trust, Spirituality and Raising Kids." The presentation will be Saturday, April 13, 2013, 6-8pm, at Two Dog Yoga, 12549 28th Ave NE, Seattle, in the Lake City neighborhood. In practices ranging from Christianity to Qigong, we work to stay present, are challenged to let go, strive to be

by Shawna Lee, Clearwater staff member Eighteen-year-old Emma is relatively new to The Clearwater School; she has attended since January 2012. Before that, she attended Woodinville High School. One day, in Emma's English class, her teacher talked about different educational philosophies, including Clearwater's Sudbury philosophy. [Her public school teacher was Christine Traxler, whose 9-

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Peter Gray, research psychologist and Sudbury Valley School board member, has published a book that collects many of the insights and posts from his Psychology Today blog, Freedom To Learn.

Throughout the book, Dr. Gray champions that most essential human learning activity: play. He captures what Fairhaven School students so ably demonstrate day after day, year after year. To learn, we must play.

Check out his book here.

 

Fairhaven School Staff

March, 2013

by Matt Garrity, staff member Gregory demonstrates how to build a really tall tower during Clearwater's Play Group program. The part time program is designed for younger students and is a great introduction into the school environment.

If you're curious--or know people who are curious--about how Clearwater students learn anything and become confident, capable and skilled adults when they are free to decide how to spend their time at school, Family Information Nights are for you. The Clearwater School has scheduled two Family Information Nights this spring. The first is this week: Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 6:00-8:00 PM. The

Three adolescent boys enter the back door and head into the Shop. They are talking a mile a minute, and they are on a mission to build or repair  something, maybe a shield for their swordplay game. Their presence is loud, physical, and energetic. Here at Fairhaven School, the moment is insignificant; however, in the landscape of American schooling, the moment embodies much, and warrants unpacking.

A first element to appreciate is  the boys’ liberty. No one has directed their activity, nor will it be measured, evaluated, or assessed by anyone but themselves. Instead, like many grownups in our post-industrial society, they are following a thread, an interest in combat reenactment that is rooted both in play and in history. Although their passage into the shop on this day is ephemeral, it also exists on a continuum, as their play and relationships span years. The late educator and process philosopher Don Oliver wrote about “concrescence,” naming the constant coming together of disparate parts to create a life form, in this case a person. Here at Fairhaven School, individual freedom enables concrescence.

Another aspect to consider is the larger, egalitarian cultural matrix of the school. We are a transparent, respectful democracy where we value all pursuits and activities. Again, the young men are going to the shop to work on their reenactment weapons, yet they are not derided for being nerdy or dorky at school, and they are not relegated to some isolated social rung. In short, nobody is shoving them up against the proverbial locker.  Likewise, the best athletes and elected school leaders here garner no special adulation, nor do the stars of the school play. I recently read a lengthy article in New York magazine that deconstructs the experiences of adolescents in mainstream American high schools. Here is a typical ... Read More

Dear friends,

Last night, members of the Rising Tide School community voted to close the school at the end of the 2012-13 school year.  Despite an extraordinary level of dedication on the part of staff, students, and parents, we just don’t have the resources to keep the school going.  We are grateful for the support and generosity of everyone who has helped to build and sustain the school.  As we’ve debated the closing of the school, there have been many tears.  As one teen observed after a meeting: “Sadness level over 9000!” While we’re all dealing with an epic sense of loss and grieving for our community and the freedom it offers, we also have a lot to celebrate.

It’s been an amazing process to build a vibrant learning community run democratically by youth.  Now in our fourth year, we are really experiencing the promise of the Sudbury model.  When we began the school, we believed that it was possible for children to take charge of their own education and to guide themselves in learning everything they need to know to be successful in the world.  Now we know that is it.  We’ve seen for ourselves that young people do master the skills they need (including but not limited to reading, writing, and arithemetic) in their own time, at their own pace, largely with no instruction.  We’ve seen that kids do learn to hold their own as full participating members in a working democracy.  We’ve watched the incredible process of youth gradually taking full responsibility for the running of the school.  Students now fill many of the key administrative and leadership roles in the school, and do so with great skill and intelligence.  And we’ve had the amazing satisfaction of seeing teens move out in the larger community with the drive, ... Read More

by Karen Hyams, Clearwater parent [photos taken at The Clearwater School] I’m the mom of a 17-year-old who has only taken two tests since first grade. When, at 15, he took a test to see if he could take freshman English at Cascadia College, I was as curious to see the results as he was; we had no past test-taking experience to compare. He might have done well, he might have done poorly--

by Bryan A couple of weeks ago I looked over Aidan's shoulder while he was reading The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. He read it in about three days, I think. Not long after that his sister Maddy was reading it, and Aidan had moved on to another book by the same author. And then a third. Always curious, I leafed through one of them, looking as I always do for some indication about whether the

You are invited to attend this upcoming event. Please invite friends, neighbors and coworkers to attend. Parents who enroll their children at the Clearwater School in Bothell grapple with thorny issues by choosing a democratic school. Providing their children with the freedom to be responsible for their own learning can be a daunting endeavor. Parents will discuss issues such as unlimited

by Bryan Carr Clearwater's Salmon Restoration Marathon is underway!   Clearwater staff and students are working hard on a marathon of weeding, grounds-clearing, and landscape restoration.  Gabriel and Leo weeding and mulching Every day we go out armed with clippers and shovels (and protected by gloves!) to the big field behind the school, to pull and flatten grasses around saplings

At The Clearwater School today students and staff were making final preparations for tomorrow's Winter Cafe (Saturday, February 2, 2013). Everyone was full of excitement and nervousness during the dress rehearsal, and lots of kinks were identified and worked out for the staging. More work, time and attention has gone into this student performance event than ever before. There is much to be proud