We're really curious about Sudbury Schools. Having gone to a strict boarding school where we marched into meals, the thought of a Sudbury School delights us - the anarchy!
But would we want to work in one, and most importantly - would we want to send our daughter to one, or even more importantly, would she want to go to one?!
So, why are we hesitating?
Before we discover any more about Sudbury Schools, what are our preconceptions?
Environment
We are absolutely onboard for grown ups stepping back but the environment and how it is set up is a powerful source of learning - does anyone control the environment in a Sudbury School?
For example, do kids come in on a Monday morning to find a milking cow in the grounds, or a million ping pong balls piled up in the rec room? (Or have we just come up with a brilliant new concept school!)
What resources are the kids given? What provocations?
This photo from the newly opened La Rosa de los Vientos Sudbury School near Madrid made us wonder - not to say that kids couldn't do a lot already with this space but would it keep them going for 7 years? What else does Sudbury add, or is that the brilliant point - they don't, the kids do?
We were blown away during our ISN project with the many different ways in which the children were exploring the relatively small amount of big and small loose parts (see below) that we'd made available to them. We know that they were not getting those learning opportunities before we put those loose parts there because we watched they play before and after. That said, we know that even in the most barren playground, children will find something to do. Our parents argument today is of course 'When I was a child, you had one stick and were told to come back when it got dark'. Where is the happy balance? Also, the ISN kids didn't bring the loose parts in themselves - small ones yes but big ones no. Do Sudbury kids arrive at school on Monday morning with cartwheels and car tyres? And if so, how brilliant!
What resources are the kids given? What provocations?
This photo from the newly opened La Rosa de los Vientos Sudbury School near Madrid made us wonder - not to say that kids couldn't do a lot already with this space but would it keep them going for 7 years? What else does Sudbury add, or is that the brilliant point - they don't, the kids do?
We were blown away during our ISN project with the many different ways in which the children were exploring the relatively small amount of big and small loose parts (see below) that we'd made available to them. We know that they were not getting those learning opportunities before we put those loose parts there because we watched they play before and after. That said, we know that even in the most barren playground, children will find something to do. Our parents argument today is of course 'When I was a child, you had one stick and were told to come back when it got dark'. Where is the happy balance? Also, the ISN kids didn't bring the loose parts in themselves - small ones yes but big ones no. Do Sudbury kids arrive at school on Monday morning with cartwheels and car tyres? And if so, how brilliant!
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