Democratic & Sudbury Philosophy Schools
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Democratic & Sudbury Philosophy Schools
Feb 2009
Hi There,
I am looking for an elementary school similar to Big Rock
Sudbury schhol of Marin. (The school in Marin has is closed, I
heard).
Some of the Sudbury philosophy means:
Independent study: Students are encouraged to be guided by
their natural curiosity and pursue their real passions.
Democratic governance. The school is run by the School Meeting,
in which students and staff members have equal votes.
Due process. When disputes arise, the issues are resolved
through fair public process by students and staff through the
judicial system. There is no fear of teachers or adults as
students learn to solve conflicts eye-to-eye and that justice
in a democracy belongs to everyone.
If you know of a school with similar philosophy in or around
Berkeley, please let me know!
Thankyou.
Wildcat Community FreeSchool:
http://www.wildcatcommunityfreeschool.org/
wildcat community freeschool, in Richmond hills adjacent to
wildcat canyon- alvarado park
-chris
Hi -
I teach at and my kids attend Wildcat Community Freeschool. It
is a Freeschool not a Sudbury - but similar. Freeschools are
based on Summerhill in England founded by A.S. Neil.
Here is the website:
http://wildcatcommunityfreeschool.org/
WE have a non-academic summer program which is both affordable,
relaxed, offers tons of art and music and gives a nice intro to
our school.
Good luck with your quest for the right school.
Sarah
Jan 2008
I'm looking for any democratically oriented schools, i.e. schools where the kids are
given a lot of responsibility and freedom. Preferably a school where there are no
grades, homework or tests. I already know about Big Rock in Marin and Diablo in
Danville but they are too far. I have checked out some of the more liberal schools
like
Walden but they all use tests and grades and homework. Thank you.
Anon
I am not sure where you are located, so this may still be
irrelevant. But have you heard of Diablo Valley School in
Concord? It is based on the Sudbury School Model.
Mimi
There is a democratic/Sudbury type school in Concord called
Diablo Valley School. I don't have direct experience with it,
but a close friend has her kids there and they all really love
it. It also sounds like they are pretty flexible with their
tuition rates too. The school is located about a block from the
downtown Concord BART station. Their website is
www.dvschool.org
Good Luck
CJU in Concord
Wildcat Community Free School
is a democratic-style school in the Richmond
Hill
area next to Alvarado Park. They have no grades (nor even those lengthy
written
evaluations that are just grades in hiding), no homework, and no tests.
Sometimes
the kids bring home things they're working on, but that's not the same. Or
they test
themselves to see how fast they can complete something or how many
problems
they can solve in a set amount of time -- but it's all voluntary and fun.
Their website
has been ''under construction'' for a long time, but there's some basic
info to be
found at http://www.wildcatcommunityfreeschool.org. They have rolling
admissions, so if you're looking for someplace right away, you might even
be able
to get in now. My daughter's been there for four years; she wouldn't
consider going
anywhere else.
anne
Wildcat Community Free School
http://www.wildcatcommunityfreeschool.org/
There is a ''Sudbury school'' in Concord called Diablo Valley School. You
can check out
their website at www.dvschool.org. I'm not sure where you are coming
from, but I
commute to Concord from Oakland every day and it's not a bad commute (20
minutes).
Plus the school is a few blocks from BART.
Tara
I am just starting to look into this myself for my 3yo (I'd
probably better get on the ball, knowing the Bay Area and
competition for resources). But in my research so far I've found
the Wildcat Community FreeSchool:
http://www.wildcatcommunityfreeschool.org/
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/schools/wildcat.html
and the Oakland Garden School:
http://www.oaklandgardenschool.com
I don't see anything on BPN about the latter one--maybe I should
post a question. I haven't called or toured either school or
anything, but so far their posted philosophies seem to agree with
what I'm looking for (which sounds similar to your preferences
too). Good luck!
--another hopeful freeschooler parent
Check out Aurora School in Oakland. www.auroraschool.org
I wanted to respond to the posts regarding Diablo Valley School.
I would be VERY careful in checking this school out before
deciding to send your child there. The school that this school
is based on (Sudbury Valley School)is very successful and based
on a wonderful idea. In my opinion, Diablo Valley School is very
different. My brother (10 years younger) attended this school
for a year when he was in 4th-5th grade. He had to repeat that
school year at another school, while also having to remember all
that he had forgotten while attending Diablo Valley School. Not
an ideal situation for a kid who didn't like school in the first
place. His experience there was about 10 years ago, so things
may have changed; but the owners/directors seem to be the same.
I am just relating our family's past experience and encouraging you
to REALLY check it out if you are looking at it for your child.
Please be cautious.
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