"Working with the Sudbury School kids was amazing for me. I've worked with thousands of different children, and saw a few startling differences in the tendencies of Sudbury kids. The first was a willingness to ask for help. We did one ropes activity that requires the participants to traverse a long series of cables and ropes. The catch is that it pretty literally can not be done alone. Every group I've worked with until this week struggled mightily at the section that requires help. Typically they will try to do it alone several times before asking if they might possibly be able to work together. Many times people just want to give up. The Sudbury group had no difficulty at all."
Introduction
Welcome to Hudson Valley Sudbury School.
The Hudson Valley Sudbury School (HVSS) in Woodstock, NY is an alternative school for students from kindergarten through high school. HVSS is based on the educational philosophy developed by the Sudbury Valley School in 1968.
Sudbury schools take a different approach to education. The Sudbury philosophy believes that success in life is determined by a person's character more than a specific body of knowledge. As a result of this belief, the structure of the school supports the development of qualities such as confidence, independence, resourcefulness, persistence and responsibility. With these qualities a person can easily obtain the knowledge they need to succeed. At Sudbury schools the students create their own curriculum. They exercise their rights and responsibilities as members of an active democracy. Most importantly, they accomplish the difficult task of defining themselves.
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