I love analogies and metaphors and pretty much any way you can describe something as being like something else. Similes too. I love a good simile.
It was pointed out to me that my definition of curriculum was too narrow. I had already arrived at that conclusion but lacked the language to describe what a sudbury curriculum is. Here is a link that discusses the idea of curricula and learning experiences in a much more thorough, eloquent and better researched way than you will ever see on this site: The Moral Path of Curriculum: Fulfillment or Judgment
What I was really searching for was a way to crystallize the differences between a sudbury experience and one in a traditional school, especially the role of staff/teacher.
the first thought I had was "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." the Sudbury experience focuses on the leading part. They provide the conditions for all sorts of amazing things to happen and it's up to the students to participate or not. Traditional schools focus on the drinking. They don't have to lead the horses anywhere because of our compulsory education laws so they are free to get a big funnel and pour all sorts of stuff down their horse's throat.
I thought of the water as being the great big world and all the interesting stuff that is out there to see. Then I thought about rivers and how knowledge and experience are not static, they aren't this big puddle to drink from, one thing flows to another, so I was thinking how Sudbury schools are like this big whitewater rafting trip. The staff is on the boat and they know more about sailing the boat than the kids do but they can't control the direction or speed or forsee every rock any more than the kids can so they're sort of all in it together. The SS Sudbury. Ha!
I think it takes a special sort of person willing to cede that much control.
The staff is also really busy. They just have a ton of stuff to do so even if you had someone who had an agenda it would be hard to implement it because there isn't a lot of time.
I should not be up at 1 am blogging. This is ridiculous.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Rambling again
As a new sudbury parent you think you know what The Philosophy is all about and sure you have your reservations but you think you can handle it. Then, one day, you come to a realization about the staff.
They are not teachers. They are not there to teach your kids. They are not even going to try.
If your kids asks them a question, they'll answer it to the best of their ability. If your kid wants help, they'll help. But they really truly have no interest in teaching your kid anything.
Sudbury schools are not curriculum based. They have no great wisdom to impart. They do not make learning "fun". And most importantly this is not even their organizing principle.
When you get this, as a parent, it's a little scary. You might feel cheated, hoodwinked. Hey, you think, what the hell kind of school is this anyway?
It's exactly the kind of school that they said it was. The organizing principle of a sudbury school is to prepare children to be active engaged citizens in a democracy. To be responsibile adults. I think they throw in the life long learner crap because people can't handle the idea of a school that doesn't have the word "learn" in its manifesto somewhere. No, it's just that people have a very rigid idea of what learning means and "life long learner" fits that better.
The learning that happens at a Sudbury School is like a slow cooker. It's like aging a fine wine. Or letting a cheese ripen. You create the optimum conditions to get the desired product and then you just let it go. Check on it from time to time and wait for the magic to happen.
It isn't that simple, there is a lot of tinkering but the point is that it is a subtle and long process and you wonder if it is ever going to work and then one day it does.
Curriculum based education is like a vintner who keeps tasting his wine too early and every time he doesn't like the taste he adds something else. And keeps adding and adding and sometimes at the end he gets wine and sometimes vinegar and sometimes grape juice. And when you criticize him he says "my equipment sucks" or "I didn't have enough money to do it the way I wanted to" but he never questions his method in the first place.
This is an imperfect analogy but I'm sure you see what I'm getting at. Traditional schools suck and sudbury schools rock. Case closed!!
They are not teachers. They are not there to teach your kids. They are not even going to try.
If your kids asks them a question, they'll answer it to the best of their ability. If your kid wants help, they'll help. But they really truly have no interest in teaching your kid anything.
Sudbury schools are not curriculum based. They have no great wisdom to impart. They do not make learning "fun". And most importantly this is not even their organizing principle.
When you get this, as a parent, it's a little scary. You might feel cheated, hoodwinked. Hey, you think, what the hell kind of school is this anyway?
It's exactly the kind of school that they said it was. The organizing principle of a sudbury school is to prepare children to be active engaged citizens in a democracy. To be responsibile adults. I think they throw in the life long learner crap because people can't handle the idea of a school that doesn't have the word "learn" in its manifesto somewhere. No, it's just that people have a very rigid idea of what learning means and "life long learner" fits that better.
The learning that happens at a Sudbury School is like a slow cooker. It's like aging a fine wine. Or letting a cheese ripen. You create the optimum conditions to get the desired product and then you just let it go. Check on it from time to time and wait for the magic to happen.
It isn't that simple, there is a lot of tinkering but the point is that it is a subtle and long process and you wonder if it is ever going to work and then one day it does.
Curriculum based education is like a vintner who keeps tasting his wine too early and every time he doesn't like the taste he adds something else. And keeps adding and adding and sometimes at the end he gets wine and sometimes vinegar and sometimes grape juice. And when you criticize him he says "my equipment sucks" or "I didn't have enough money to do it the way I wanted to" but he never questions his method in the first place.
This is an imperfect analogy but I'm sure you see what I'm getting at. Traditional schools suck and sudbury schools rock. Case closed!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
sick
we are sick, sick, sick here thus the dearth of posts.
we did have a great thanksgiving though, hope you did too!
we did have a great thanksgiving though, hope you did too!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
words that I sort of know the meaning of but not well enough to use in a sentence
apostate
apotheosis
factotum (good book though, love the Buk)
praxis
word that I do know the meaning of but would feel pretentious using
amanuensis
words that I love that also start with the letter "l"
lethargy
logorithim
libretto
lothario
and of course.......list.
apotheosis
factotum (good book though, love the Buk)
praxis
word that I do know the meaning of but would feel pretentious using
amanuensis
words that I love that also start with the letter "l"
lethargy
logorithim
libretto
lothario
and of course.......list.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
this would be even funnier if it was someone else
We're riding home from the bus stop and Amelia asks "Mom, what's sex?"
sigh, why is it always in the car?
"Well, it's how you make babies." I hear some whispering and i told you's and Amelia says "Des says that it's naked people rolling around hugging and kissing."
double sigh
"Well, that's part of it sometimes."
"Is that real?" Des asks, "Because we want to know the right answer. All the little kids want to know the right answer, Mom."
"do you have to do sex to make babies?" "yes"
Amelia then deduces that her cousin and his girlfriend who are expecting a baby "do sex"
"Why do you have to have your clothes off?"
"Well, sometimes it's more comfortable that way."
"You did it four times. I mean three because we're twins."
'Well, you don't have a baby every time you have sex."
"Oh we know that. so how many times did you do it?" Amelia hazards a guess "5, 6 times?"
Then Des asks "when you were making Finn, where was Cady? I mean, she wasn't just standing there right.'
I say "we found a private place and had some time to ourselves. Sex is a private thing and so mommy and daddy do that privately in privacy."
Amelia says "I bet we were all fast asleep."
I tell them that these are personal questions but I'm answering them so that they have the right information but they can't ask other people. I said that even adults don't discuss this with each other, it's that private.
Des asks "Do all animals do sex?"
"Yes."
"How do reindeer do it?"
I say "Honestly, Des, I have never seen that."
He says "Well they have those pointy things on their heads. Don't they hurt each other?"
"I really don't know."
Then he says "I heard people roll around all over the place." He looks at me and says "I know you didn't do that, mom."
It was the most exhausting conversation I've had with them in a while.
sigh, why is it always in the car?
"Well, it's how you make babies." I hear some whispering and i told you's and Amelia says "Des says that it's naked people rolling around hugging and kissing."
double sigh
"Well, that's part of it sometimes."
"Is that real?" Des asks, "Because we want to know the right answer. All the little kids want to know the right answer, Mom."
"do you have to do sex to make babies?" "yes"
Amelia then deduces that her cousin and his girlfriend who are expecting a baby "do sex"
"Why do you have to have your clothes off?"
"Well, sometimes it's more comfortable that way."
"You did it four times. I mean three because we're twins."
'Well, you don't have a baby every time you have sex."
"Oh we know that. so how many times did you do it?" Amelia hazards a guess "5, 6 times?"
Then Des asks "when you were making Finn, where was Cady? I mean, she wasn't just standing there right.'
I say "we found a private place and had some time to ourselves. Sex is a private thing and so mommy and daddy do that privately in privacy."
Amelia says "I bet we were all fast asleep."
I tell them that these are personal questions but I'm answering them so that they have the right information but they can't ask other people. I said that even adults don't discuss this with each other, it's that private.
Des asks "Do all animals do sex?"
"Yes."
"How do reindeer do it?"
I say "Honestly, Des, I have never seen that."
He says "Well they have those pointy things on their heads. Don't they hurt each other?"
"I really don't know."
Then he says "I heard people roll around all over the place." He looks at me and says "I know you didn't do that, mom."
It was the most exhausting conversation I've had with them in a while.
Monday, November 17, 2008
don't laugh
I was on the phone with someone and had to give them a phone number. They said "can you text it to me?"
I said "well, I'm on my house phone." which was true.
but also,
I don't know how
I said "well, I'm on my house phone." which was true.
but also,
I don't know how
a quick note on sentences
The other day Des had a sentence in school for running in the halls-he had to do the Wedding March(walk very slowly) and wear a sign that said "Don't run in the halls". At first the sign bothered me because it seemed like a shaming sort of punishment but then the kids explained that it's to help them remember not to run. There are also little signs that say "I have a cleaning job today" because forgetting to do your cleaning job is quite common. As is just flat out not doing it.
The sentences generally fit the infraction. The kids say littering, running, rowdy or dangerous activity, not doing cleaning jobs and being noisy in the quiet area are the most common charges. The sentences are usually a cleaning job or an extra cleaning job for littering and being restricted from certain areas or restricted to certain areas for noisy or rowdy behavior. Not putting toys or art supplies away usually results in being decertified for those items. Most of the stuff is pretty basic: if you make a mess, clean it up. Don't want to clean it up? Then you don't get to use that stuff anymore.
Repeat offenders will have longer sentences and then eventually suspension. People have been suspended for not doing cleaning jobs. Mostly suspension/expulsion is for more serious, I would say, anti social infractions-fighting, bullying, stealing stuff like that. JC recommends suspension but school meeting has to vote on it. And if it is an indefinite suspension they have to vote to let you back in too. It's pretty intense. That doesn't happen very often though.
The sentences generally fit the infraction. The kids say littering, running, rowdy or dangerous activity, not doing cleaning jobs and being noisy in the quiet area are the most common charges. The sentences are usually a cleaning job or an extra cleaning job for littering and being restricted from certain areas or restricted to certain areas for noisy or rowdy behavior. Not putting toys or art supplies away usually results in being decertified for those items. Most of the stuff is pretty basic: if you make a mess, clean it up. Don't want to clean it up? Then you don't get to use that stuff anymore.
Repeat offenders will have longer sentences and then eventually suspension. People have been suspended for not doing cleaning jobs. Mostly suspension/expulsion is for more serious, I would say, anti social infractions-fighting, bullying, stealing stuff like that. JC recommends suspension but school meeting has to vote on it. And if it is an indefinite suspension they have to vote to let you back in too. It's pretty intense. That doesn't happen very often though.
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