Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Education › Learning at School › Other (Reggio Emilia, Sudbury, Democratic) › Any Dem/sudbury parents out there???
New Posts  All Forums:
 

Any Dem/sudbury parents out there??? - Page 3

post #41 of 64
4/14/09 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starflower View Post
Good luck, doublyblessed.

We're hoping to go to the Sudbury school here for an appointment during school hours this week, but it will depend on if everyone is healthy enough.
what do u mean by 'healthy enough'??? u mean not bringing loads of chaos/dysfunction of baggage in w/ them???

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
post #42 of 64
4/18/09 at 1:31am
Hi, I have some questions about how the student judicial committee is supposed to work in Sudbury schools.

Some of my questions: Is there always a small group? Are judicial matters re: a student's breaking of the rules ever brought before the whole school? Do the studentsget to vote on expulsion of other students? What about the difference in ages in mixed groups? I wonder how students are able to handle the differences (developmentally) in giving out punishments?

Also, because of the democratic and community nature of these things, is there any expectation of privacy when it comes to sentences? That is, privacy from visitors to the school, other students, or other parents?

Thanks.
post #43 of 64
4/19/09 at 3:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by doublyblessed View Post
what do u mean by 'healthy enough'??? u mean not bringing loads of chaos/dysfunction of baggage in w/ them???
No. I mean we've all been sick over here with rotating colds, flu, stomach yuck, bronchitis, etc. I am finally recovering from bronchitis now and am very tired. DD has stomach stuff earlier this week. Now she has a bit of a cold.

So when we are no longer ill, we'll be "healthy enough" to go check out the school to see how we like it and if it might be a good fit for our family.

I am not planning to bring any "loads of chaos/dysfunction of baggage" with us, so I am not quite sure what you mean by that. Could you clarify?
post #44 of 64
4/26/09 at 9:15am
How did it turn out doublyblessed? Are you still waiting to hear?
post #45 of 64
5/9/09 at 2:04am
Thread Starter 

school year almost over

well I started this thread at the beginning of the school year and kinda have neglected it. My boys 14 and 7 have had a happy school year. My oldest did absolutely no academics, well I lie. He was signed up for an online school but didn't hardly ever do the work , I tried everything but he hated it, we got the workload cut down, which I hated too and then dropped out. He reads and participates in the mythology class. He is coming out of his crippling shyness which is good. Looks like he will be staying in the dem/free school. 7 year old is much happier in the dem/free school but doesn't like to read and has forgotten almost everything he learned up through kindergarten. Well it seems that way. He doesn't fit in regular school and i would have to get him an IEP to be there so we will stick with the free school another year. Now there is my daughter, she is in kindergarten and doing great. It is exhausting for her and she would love to go to school with her brothers but I am afraid to let go of her public school success. I don't trust like I should that they will learn what they need. If they are all to go to the free school next year we are going to have to supplement with classes at the science museum, some math and reading writing.
All in all they are happy at the dem/free school and I really enjoy being there when ever I can, it is filled with happy kids being busy and having a ball. Any thoughts on how to let go of academics would be most appreciated

here is a link to our school

http://secondfoundationschool.wordpress.com/
post #46 of 64
5/21/09 at 6:56pm
We're doing our visiting week at the Sudbury model school here.

The past two days when I've gone to pick her up, DD hasn't wanted to leave because she was really enjoying herself. DD is on her third day there and is loving it except that she is worried about JC today. She was written up yesterday (along with some other kids) for a minor infraction and she's nervous about talking about what happened. I spoke with the staff at the school about DD's feelings this morning and I think things will be OK for her. By the time I left her there today she was happily going out to feed the chickens.

Yesterday was difficult for me though. Not because DD told me she was written up or anything, but just because we have been unschooling all this time and I'm not used to her being away all day. I have a ton of things I'd like to be doing with my newly found block of free-time this week, but I ended up with a cold and haven't had the energy to do them. If we decide to enroll her in this school, it will definitely be a big change for us, perhaps most especially for me.

The whole reason we were interested in doing Sudbury in the first place is because DD is so extroverted and seems to be craving spontaneous play and contact with other children than I feel like I cannot provide/arrange for. And we do get out and do things and see people, but I think the consistency of this school may be a better approach for our family than me trying to arrange a series of play dates all the time.

I'm interested to hear how her day went today.
post #47 of 64
5/23/09 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Starflower, I hear you on letting go but if she is happy there then you are doing the right thing. A lot of kids that go to school at my kids school come in PT and stay at home either homeschooling or sleeping if they are teens the other part of the day. Some of the moms and dads just come in and hang out and volunteer, why don't you try that. My kids love going to school, they know they are going to have fun.
post #48 of 64
5/23/09 at 8:16pm
Thanks, thisiswhatwedo.

Once I get into a routine, I may want to volunteer, but I actually don't want to volunteer at this point. We're looking at doing 3-day a week when we enroll and homeschooling the other two days. I am hoping to get into a routine of doing my art again and getting some remodeling and yard work done around the house while DD is out at school.

The main reason we're looking at 3-day is the cost. If we go more than that, I may need to find work. And I really want to get back established working in my studio before finding other work (even though it would pay $) because otherwise my art seems to always get pushed out by everything else.

And so far, DD says she only wants to go 3 days, though I imagine that may change. She didn't want to leave the first two days. I had to go find her and convince her to come home. The third day, I picked her up later per her request, but most everyone else had gone except one other kid a couple years older than her and some teenagers who were wandering about in the field. She was actually waiting for me by the parking lot with her things. I walked right by her because I thought I'd have to chase her down again.

We decided that next week I'll pick her up right after the bus leaves. That way most of the kids have just left so it will be easier to let go, but not so many are gone that she feels isolated.

And she did do OK with JC even though she didn't like it. Two of the kids she was written up with got written up again, so she's starting to understand that it's just how they manage stuff, not the end of the world. She's excited to go back next week. And I think I'm a bit more ready myself.
post #49 of 64
5/25/09 at 10:33pm
Thread Starter 
sounds like your daughter likes her school, good deal. I am looking at enrolling my youngest next year at the boys dem school. I hesitate because she has had much success at the public school but I will give myself the summer to figure it out, she definitely wants to go there. It is for me in someways more work as I need to be sure they are learning what I think they should be learning, but I love the school, the community. we will see.
post #50 of 64
5/27/09 at 2:07am
Good luck with your decision, thisiswhatwedo.

It's looking like we'll be going with the Sudbury school for DD. She is loving it. Tomorrow is her last day of her visiting week. I was able to observe her playing with two other girls today. She looked really happy and engaged. The staff there seems very good, plus I have a friend at church whose son attends the school. We may even be able to carpool since she lives close by. (Her son has been at Sudbury schools since he was 7 and is now 13. She used to be on staff at their school in CA. Now she volunteers at this school.)

DD already has one little girl asking when she'll be there. So I think she'll mesh with the community pretty well.
post #51 of 64
8/20/09 at 1:44pm
well i thought i'd be radically unschoolin' my dd but upon considering HER needs & truly, my own sanity...

but...she will most likely be accepted this year at our local democratic/sudbury model magnet school (free aka lottery based...in our public school system). i actually feel hopeful relieved & excited for us. we'd have a more active, more frequent community of families and teachers aka 'facilitators'...

i love how the 'teachers' are more like guides & how the kids are viewed as unique individuals w/ different passions & needs, how its supported and worked into the childs experience there. i love the mixed age setting. i LOVE the location, too. my daughter & i can walk there or even ride bikes together. :
post #52 of 64
8/22/09 at 4:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by doublyblessed View Post
well i thought i'd be radically unschoolin' my dd but upon considering HER needs & truly, my own sanity...
This is pretty much our situation as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by doublyblessed View Post
but...she will most likely be accepted this year at our local democratic/sudbury model magnet school (free aka lottery based...in our public school system). i actually feel hopeful relieved & excited for us. we'd have a more active, more frequent community of families and teachers aka 'facilitators'...

i love how the 'teachers' are more like guides & how the kids are viewed as unique individuals w/ different passions & needs, how its supported and worked into the childs experience there. i love the mixed age setting. i LOVE the location, too. my daughter & i can walk there or even ride bikes together. :
It sounds like a really good match!
post #53 of 64
9/30/09 at 12:59am
I'm in the group of "starting up" a school in California - on the Central Coast.
I came here looking for fund raising suggestions - got any? I'm excited to see some other out there who are starting up!
post #54 of 64
10/4/09 at 3:24am
Thread Starter 

Year number three!!!

Well we are on year three of Dem/free school in Minneapolis called Second Foundation School. this year is the 40th yes 40th anniversary of the school and it is going great. I've got all three kids in school there and my youngest has transferred her enthusiasm to learn to her free school and takes every class available. Beyond reading and writing math and science this year she is learning guitar, yoga, creepy literature, art, cooking and playing like crazy. She also like to make dresses for her dolls. My 7 year old refuses to participate in anything structured and spends most of his time playing with legos, being on the computer and the computer committee and playing in the gym. My 14 year old is as relaxed social and happy as I have ever seen him, I don't know what he is doing this year, he usually plays drums or saxophone or reads but we are getting him to do some algebra, hopefully and volunteer as well as read. All in all the school is reinventing itself this year as many of the oldest kids graduated and there are many young ones. The web hasen't been updated yet this year but still check it out!
http://secondfoundationschool.wordpress.com/
post #55 of 64
10/4/09 at 5:31am
Ooh. Starflower. I think I need to talk to you. I'm planning on going to the local Sudbury school info night next month, and given your location I'll bet we're talking about the same school. I love the sound of the place so far, but I'm still not sure how on earth we'll be able to afford it (even though it seems pretty reasonable as far as 'private' schools go!). I'm going to check it out anyway and figure out the money part later. Glad to hear your dd is enjoying it!
post #56 of 64
10/6/09 at 7:04am
Hi, bjorker

I'm glad someone else finally posted on this thread! I've been reading the other "learning at school" threads to try and help with our transition from unschooling to Sudbury, but it's so very different, not everything is relevant. (Some has been though.)

I'm sure we're talking about the same school. PM me if you want to talk about it. DD's first week was very difficult, but now she wishes she were going to school more days per week. (She only goes 3 days per week and has a homeschool theater class once a week.) Fridays she is always bummed she doesn't have school.

The cost is quite a lot for us, too, so I totally understand that aspect of it. That's one of the reasons we decided to do part time enrollment. They do have financial aid available, but we did not apply. If DD wants to continue there and go more than 3/week, I will have to get a part-time job.
post #57 of 64
10/8/09 at 4:18pm
Thanks for chiming in! I will definitely PM you if I think of anything in particular, though right now I think I just need to wait until I can actually visit the school (on the 21st). I'm really excited that this is even an option in our area.
post #58 of 64
10/31/09 at 3:13am
I'm a new Sudbury mom and could use some support. I don't want to cross post - I posted a long comment about my emotional struggles with my 5 year old's free access to violent media on the new Sudbury thread.
post #59 of 64
10/31/09 at 6:04pm
I wouldn't worry about cross-posting.

I've had stuff I've wanted to talk about and haven't because I wasn't ready to talk within our own Sudbury community and here on MDC we seem to be so few and far between that it's really easy to miss any new posts.

I've been flipping between "going back to school" type threads on the regular "Learning in School" board and the "Unschooling" section. I used to hang out in unschooling all the time. But now we are different...yet not...yet we are.

I even responded to the MDC workshop on Alternative Education and last time I checked, I was the only person to respond in an entire month. Sometimes I really feel like I'm really on the fringe now. Even more so than when we were unschooling.

Perhaps we should start a new Sudbury thread and get everything on one page, or just use this thread?

I will go look at your other post.
post #60 of 64
11/4/09 at 5:18pm
Hello all.... We are a Democratic/Sudbury model school family.

I also have a child who attends public school by his own choice. My 15 yo actually attends school in Illinois where we are originally from. (He stays with my parents during the school year.) Unfortunately I feel like he is getting the short end of the stick so to speak.

My 6 yo attends the local Democratic school here in PA. He loves it (this is his second year) and is so different on so many levels than his brother was at the same age.

It has been hard to trust my 6 yo to find his way. But I have to say he is happy. Knows who he is. And amazes me everyday with what he learns.

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Education › Learning at School › Other (Reggio Emilia, Sudbury, Democratic) › Any Dem/sudbury parents out there???