Basics
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What is a Sudbury School?
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Surely, this type of school is only for particular
kinds of children?
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Sudents at ISC appear to be completely unsupervised.
Do they just wander freely? How safe is
that, especially for young children?
Curriculum
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What is the Campus's curriculum?
- Why doesn't the Campus impose a curriculum on students?
- What about the standard school curriculum that everyone
"needs"?
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What if my child isn't self-motivated?
- What if my child does nothing?
- My child needs structure.
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What will my child learn at the Indigo Sudbury Campus?
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How will my child learn.....?
Evaluation and Reporting
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Does the Indigo Sudbury Campus do testing?
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Does the Indigo Sudbury Campus issue report cards?
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Why doesn't the Campus evaluate students for reporting
to parents?
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Isn't evaluation an important part of learning?
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What evaluation do children recieve at the campus?
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Does the Campus conduct parent-teacher confrences?
Role of Parents
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What is the role of parents at the Campus?
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Can parents spend time at the Campus?
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How do parents learn about what's happening at the
Campus?
Post-secondary education
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How will my child do at another school after attending
the Indigo Sudbury Campus?
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Will my child get into college or university?
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What are Indigo Sudbury Campus's post-secondary attendance
statistics?
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Where can I get more information about the study of
Sudbury Valley School's alumni?
Organization
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Is the Indigo Sudbury Campus a registered or accredited
Private School?
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Are the staff members at the Indigo Sudbury Campus
certified teachers?
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Are there attendance requirements?
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Can I financially afford the Campus?
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What are the Campus's admission requirements?
Visits
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Can I visit the school?
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Can my child visit the school?
Staffing
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Can I volunteer at the school?
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What is the process for becoming a staff member?
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What is a Sudbury
School?
Sudbury Schools are schools modeled on the Sudbury
Valley School which was founded in Framingham, Massachusetts
in 1968. Sudbury Schools operate on two basic tenets:
educational freedom and democratic governance. This
means students are completely free to choose how to
spend their time, and they have an equal vote in the
School Meeting which decides, by majority vote, all
matters concerning the day-to-day operation of the
school.
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Surely, this
type of school is only for particular kinds of children?
During the course of its 34-year history, Sudbury
Valley has welcomed every "type" of child
- from the highly academic student to the traditional
school "drop-out".
"I wouldn’t say that there
are particular types of kids that the school works
for. I think that the kids make it work for themselves
in different ways." Sudbury graduate.
"At fifteen, I was very unhappy
in school. I had done very, very well and...I really
liked to work hard, to learn things and to do things...
(Sudbury Valley) was such an adjustment from having
people telling me what to do all day every day."
Sudbury graduate
"I was rotten to the core when
I first came to SVS and it turned me into a normal
person. I learned a lot from the other kids at the
school." Sudbury graduate
"I stopped living simply to get
an A in class or to make a project look nice. Without
these artificial goals, I didn’t know what I
was living for, and I was forced to examine it. This
process has taught me a lot about my life and myself."
Circle School graduate
"Sudbury Valley changed my attitude
toward education. I became excited about learning
again at SVS. I wouldn’t have gone to any school
if it weren’t for SVS." Sudbury graduate
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Students at
ISC appear to be completely unsupervised. Do they
just wander freely? How safe is that, especially for young children?
At ISC, safety is a key consideration, however, we
put safety in the hands of every community member
rather than leaving it only up to the adults. This
means students learn to be responsible for themselves,
and they learn to watch out for each other.
ISC's environment also teaches students
to trust their instinct and assert themselves; therefore,
if something doesn't feel right to them, they honor
that "feeling", voice their concerns and/or
remove themselves from the situation they don't feel
comfortable with.
ISC does have student-and-staff-created
guidelines for student "excursions". Students
9 and under may go "off-campus" (includes
being beyond the view of the main buildings) only
if they are accompanied by an adult or have special,
written permission from their parents to go off-campus
(with at least one other person.) Students ages 10-13
may go off-campus and beyond the view of the main
buildings if they are with at least one other person,
have filled out an "off-campus" form and
have had this form signed by a staff member. Students
ages 14 and up may go off-campus and beyond the view
of the main buildings alone if they have filled out
an "off-campus" form and have had it signed
by a staff member.
Note: As ISC is in a country location,
students cannot go far without arranging transportation.
Students will be limited to the perimeters of the
property and will be clearly instructed to stay within
the fences that mark the property's boundaries.
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What is the
Campus’s curriculum?
The Campus imposes no curriculum. Children manage
their own time at the Campus and pursue activities
of their own choosing. There are plentiful resources:
books, computers, kitchen, art supplies, musical instruments,
sports equipment, interesting people doing interesting
things and much more. This availability of resources
helps students encounter a broad variety of subjects
and activities including much that is part of
a traditional basic curriculum and much that is not.
Classes are also conducted but only at students’
requests.
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Why doesn’t
the Campus impose a curriculum on students?
We do not impose a curriculum for the simple reason
that no person will truly learn something they are
not interested in. We prefer students to discover
and pursue their own interests which will help them
maintain enjoyment in learning and have a more enduring
learning experience. As adults, we do not appreciate
being coerced into something we don’t want to
do, and we are happiest when we are pursuing our own
interests. Out of basic respect for our students,
we allow them freedom of choice.
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What about the
standard school curriculum that
everyone "needs"?
We do not believe that anyone "needs" the
standard school curriculum. Many things that are learned
in today’s schools do not serve students in
any way. Also, what is important or interesting to
one person may not be important or interesting to
another. The learning path, style and timing ideally
suited to one person may be all wrong for another.
The experiences of other Sudbury Schools
have shown that all children sooner or later learn
the "basics" they need. Every student determines
at some point that in order to function in today’s
world, s/he needs to be able to read, write and do
basic math. Once the inner motivation, created by
the need, comes to life, students diligently focus
on learning these skills and often learn them in a
very short period of time. Because students take on
a subject when they are ready, they learn it easily
and often are motivated to challenge themselves to
greater and greater levels of difficulty simply for
the satisfaction derived from the challenge.
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What if my child
isn’t self-motivated?
All children are naturally curious to explore the
world around them. This natural curiosity drives their
learning and is what we call self-motivation. Among
children who begin their school years at the Indigo
Sudbury Campus, all are motivated. It is only when
children are restricted, repeatedly told what to do
and/or not interested in what they are doing that
their motivational fire is extinguished.
There is no teacher, textbook, class,
curriculum or special tutoring program that can make
up for a fire gone out. Only allowing students the
freedom to get in touch with their true passions and
interests will bring motivation back to life
a process that can take a year or more for students
who have previously spent years in traditional schools.
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What if my child
does nothing?
Sometimes children need to do "nothing"
for a long or short period of time. We believe this
is perfectly healthy. Some children need to "do
nothing" in order to reconnect with themselves
and rediscover their true interests. It may take boredom
to get them to this place of rediscovery, but even
this is healthy in that boredom will force a child
to make decisions for her/himself based on what s/he
truly wants to do. At the Indigo Sudbury Campus, where
people are pursuing their interests all day, every
day and where every possible interest can be explored,
the child who "does nothing" will eventually
discover her/his own interests and actively begin
pursuing them.
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My child needs
structure.
Structure contributes to orderly society and access
to resources. Structure contributes to the stability
and security that set children free to explore their
world without fear. However, at the Indigo Sudbury
Campus, we see a marked difference between healthy
and unhealthy structure.
Unhealthy structure, in our opinion,
includes: age segregation, pre-determined, externally
chosen subjects of study that neither take into consideration
children’s interests nor their developmental
readiness, the use of fear, competition and punishment
to ensure compliance and evaluations that encourage
a sense of superiority or inferiority. Unhealthy structure
often results in children who have lost the ability
to be internally guided and make responsible choices
for themselves.
Healthy structure, on the other hand,
creates children who are directed by a healthy, internal
guidance system that propels them toward what is truly
best for them. The democratic nature of the Indigo
Sudbury Campus ensures this type of structure through
its One Rule, daily routines, judicial duty, certification
procedures, committees, clerkships, corporations and
many daily, weekly and yearly rhythms. The age-mixing,
educational freedom, use of the JC and lack of forced
formal evaluations also help children become confident,
comfortable with others and capable of making responsible,
functional choices.The democratic structure of the
Indigo Sudbury Campus sets the limits for safety and
order within which all students are free to pursue
their self-chosen enterprises. So, rather than using
structure to control children, we set children free
to discover their own power.
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What will my
child learn at the Indigo Sudbury Campus?
Virtually all children learn reading, writing and
arithmetic, and beyond that, the possibilities are
as vast as the human imagination. Children will often
study traditional academic subjects far more deeply,
joyfully and durably than is likely in traditional
schools. They will also delve into non-traditional
subjects with the same concentration and fervor. Children
will learn what they are interested in and also what
they find they need in order to pursue other self-chosen
activities. In addition, if necessary, children will
re-learn how to play.
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How will my
child learn ____________?
There is no guarantee that your child will learn ____________
at this Campus or at any other school. But in today’s
information saturated culture, children have access
to virtually every subject of study, usually in great
depth.
When a child’s interest
in a subject exhausts the resources immediately available
on Campus, the Source Clerk helps to arrange for the
engagement of other resources, for example, internships
and apprenticeships.
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Does the Indigo Sudbury Campus do testing?
Yes, but only if requested by the
student.
Modern research and our own personal
experience clearly show that required testing harms
children’s learning reducing it to rote
memorization and regurgitation. Required testing stresses
children unnecessarily and is terrifically time consuming
for both staff and students without necessarily being
valid. Testing provides quantifiable results but can
also seriously damage a child’s self-esteem
and sense of competence. In today’s information
age, the memorization of facts that can easily be
looked up is less valuable than knowing how to access
key information and put it to use.
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Does the Indigo Sudbury Campus issue
report cards?
No. The Campus does not test or evaluate
students for reporting to parents. If parents want
information on their child’s progress, we invite
them to speak directly with their child or arrange
an interview between themselves, a staff member and
their child.
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Why doesn’t the Campus evaluate
students for reporting to parents?
Absence of imposed evaluation makes
several wholesome results more likely: first, children
develop self-assessment habits and introspective skills.
Second, children’s natural curiosity and motivation
are preserved. Third, children develop empowering
confidence in their own grand ideas and original perceptions
of the world. Finally, rather than exhibiting behaviors
aiming to please adults, children experience natural
growth.
Absence of parental reporting preserves
individual student privacy, supports the Campus’s
function as a place for development of children’s
independence, maximizes intrinsic motivation and supports
authentic, trusting staff/student relationships. In
short, absence of reporting contributes to the essential
character of the program and helps to secure its benefits.
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Isn’t evaluation an important
part of learning?
Yes! Most of us benefit immensely
from feedback that helps us to measure our own standards,
abilities and ways of doing things in comparison to
others and in relation to our goals and aspirations.
Most of us actively seek and study feedback about
ourselves, especially in the areas of knowledge and
skill that we are currently trying to expand.
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What evaluation do children receive
at the Campus?
Children receive evaluations that
arise naturally from daily life, and they take place
in numerable ways, such as: self-evaluation through
introspection (ie. a personal sense of satisfaction
or dissatisfaction); feedback during student requested
one-on-one and small group tutoring sessions; student
requested tests and grades; spontaneous feedback from
others; certification procedures; judicial proceedings,
and many forms of success and failure.
Evaluations at the Campus are rich
and varied, but most importantly, because they are
considered part of the learning process and are offered
in a caring environment, children learn to accept
them openly and without fear. As a result, students
become self-aware, willing to seek adult assistance
and external evaluation when useful to them, and,
most importantly, they develop a sense of self-worth
that remains intact regardless of external feedback.
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Does the Campus conduct parent-teacher
conferences?
Generally, no. Occasionally, at the
request of parents and/or the student, staff members
confer with the parents and the student together.
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What is the role of parents at the
Campus?
In order for the ISC experience to
be richest for children, parents are urged to become
as familiar as possible with the Campus philosophy
and reflect deeply on whether or not they can fully
support this philosophy. Any overt or covert pressure
from home that goes counter to the Campus philosophy
can create stress for a child, limit her/his sense
of freedom and take away from her/his internal locus
of control.
Although we know the Sudbury philosophy
causes fear in most parents, we ask parents to feel
their fear and "do it anyway". History has
shown that parents who trust their children to get
what they need from the Sudbury system notice better
results than parents who show distrust of their children
and the Sudbury system. We encourage parents who are
feeling fear or doubt to speak with ISC Staff and/or
"veteran" school parents, go through our
Sudbury Valley School materials or read other material
on the "unschooling" concept.
Other than trust, the best thing parents
can do to ensure the success of their children is
to be strong, positive role models. We encourage parents
to be the kind of adult they hope their children will
become. "Actions speak louder than words."
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Can parents spend time at the Campus?
If parents are formally involved in
a specific activity or mentoring role, their presence
at the school will be most welcome. However, in order
to protect all students’ sense of freedom, parents
are asked to get approval from the Visit Committee
if they wish to spend "non-service related"
time at the school beyond the simple drop off and
pick up or interview times.
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How do parents learn about what’s
happening at the Campus?
Parents’ first and best source
of information about what’s happening at the
Campus is their child him/herself.
In addition, staff members are available
to discuss parents’ questions and concerns about
the Campus, its systems and practices, and how they
relate to individual student’s needs and parent
concerns.
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How will my child do at another
school after attending the Indigo Sudbury Campus?
Children generally experience smooth
transitions to other schools. Schools commonly deal
with children transferring in from a great variety
of educational backgrounds and levels of achievement
and knowledge.
Families whose children have transferred
out of other Sudbury Schools into traditional schools
have reported no special problems. Often, they comment
that their children’s increased confidence and
motivation helped them to adapt and excel.
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Will my child get into college or
university?
The Indigo Sudbury Campus works closely
with Education Unlimited (www.educationunlimited.ca),
a homeschooling centre whose founders have done extensive
work with post-secondary institutions across Canada
to gain admittance for "unschooled" students.
ISC students who wish to go to post-secondary institutions
can work with Education Unlimited to gain entrance.
In terms of other Sudbury Schools,
they have found that virtually all of the students
who wanted to go to college or university were admitted.
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What are Indigo Sudbury Campus's
post-secondary attendance statistics?
At present, we are too new to be able
to offer this information. However, these are the
statistics from a 1991 study of hundreds of alumni
of the original Sudbury Valley School:
93% attended post-secondary schools,
among students who attended the Sudbury Valley School
for their entire primary and secondary schooling.
(96% of those schools were 4-year colleges.
90% attended post-secondary schools, among students
who attended Sudbury Valley School for three years
or more including high school.
80% attended post-secondary schools, among students
who attended the Sudbury Valley School for two high
school years.
83% attended post-secondary schools, among students
who attended the Sudbury Valley School for one high
school year.
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Where can I get more information
about the study of Sudbury Valley School’s alumni?
The best source is the book Legacy
of Trust: Life After the Sudbury Valley School Experience by Daniel Greenberg and Mimsy Sadofsky (order through
www.sudval.org) This book reports the 1991 study mentioned
above, including statistical and narrative analysis.
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Is the Indigo Sudbury
Campus a registered or accredited Private School?
No. Students who attend the Indigo
Sudbury Campus register with a Homeschooling Centre
as traditional homeschoolers and then attend the Indigo
Sudbury Campus for their day-to-day Sudbury experience.
Students submit an ISC "education plan"
to their homeschooling centre and, at the end of the
year, they review the plan and their portfolio with
a facilitator at the homeschooling centre.
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Are the staff members at the Indigo
Sudbury Campus certified teachers?
The present two staff members are
certified teachers, however certification is not a
requirement. Many competent specialists who do not
have teaching certificates may be highly beneficial
to the Campus community. All applicants, certified
and uncertified, will be considered at staff elections
after screening and after going through the Campus
Internship program.
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Are there attendance requirements?
Yes. Students ages 4 and 5 are required
to attend the Campus twelve hours per week and any
student over 5 years of age is required to attend
25 hours per week. The Campus is open from 8:00 to
5:00, Monday to Friday, which leaves students free
to determine how they want to structure their attendance.
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Can I financially afford the Campus?
The Campus is committed to keeping
tuition as low as possible to make the Campus as widely
available as possible. The Campus also strives to
pay staff a reasonable wage.
To further increase affordability,
tuition can be paid in monthly installments, and there
are steep discounts for brothers and sisters. Please
phone the Campus for payment options.
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What are the Campus’s admission
requirements?
Admissions are open to children ages
four through twenty who want to attend and who are
able to function effectively within the Campus’s
program. It is also very important that the parents
of the children support the Campus’s educational
philosophy.
To begin the admissions process, parents
are required to go through the Pre-Admissions Overview
at home with the child/ren they are enrolling. Once
this has been done, families may schedule an Admissions
Interview. Thereafter, students have the option of
attending the Campus for a Visiting Week. The visit
can help the student and family more fully understand
the program and also helps all parties assess the
student’s ability to function within the program.
Visiting Week is also an opportunity to test the compatibility
of the Campus with the family’s expectations.
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