Joan Labbe & Salvatore Genovese

Interesting. I'll have to read that one. I know four families who send
their kids there and I also get some insider feedback from a former staff
member there who currently unschools his family in the town where I live.
He and his wife's criticisms were that firstly, the school views unschoolers
as "overprotective" which is pretty sad since so much of the "child led
learning" philosophy is the same. Secondly that he left primarily because
he felt there was actually a "culture of leisure" encouraged there...that
is, so many of the teachers had been driven so hard by parents in their
youth that they were really challenging older kids who asked to do or learn
something with "Prove your parents didn't put you up to this!" and thereby
discouraging them. He felt there were lots of kids who might be choosing to
do other things, but they were making friendship bracelets all day instead
because that is what was promoted as "culturally acceptable".

Definitely a place with question marks, but not your standard school either.
It's the only school I know of where the kids go to town meeting, vote to
make their own "rules" to run the school by, and regularly play outside all
day if they want in the treehouses the older kids built, or sit around and
chat, or mingle with kids of all ages freely, etcetera. They can bring
movies to watch or video games of any kind with equipment to play. The
social code they have there really encourages kids to take responsibility
and care for each other. Where at other schools, "telling" about an
incident of one kid picking on another for example, is often viewed
negatively, at SVS if you witness such an event you are required to report
it (again, not a rule handed down by adults, but one proposed and agreed to
by everyone). I've heard really touching stories about how the kids help
each other and care about each other there more than a more normal school.

I have to say that if one of my kids decided they wanted to check out
"school", I'd include it as an option for them to explore.

Joan

************************
"I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than
live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it." ... Harry
Emerson Fosdick


-----Original Message-----
From: Robyn Coburn [mailto:dezigna@...]
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 9:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Sudbury schools


<<<Very interesting place, and "school" is something of a misnomer for it.
It's been profiled on 20/20 I know.>>>

There is an interview by a Principal of one of them in the latest Life
Learning Magazine. He sprouts all the same old anti-homeschooling - school
is better than being at home for Socialization in the "real world"/ we are
the experts - malarkey.

Just a school after all...

Robyn L. Coburn

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pam sorooshian

On Aug 9, 2004, at 6:40 AM, Joan Labbe & Salvatore Genovese wrote:

> Secondly that he left primarily because
> he felt there was actually a "culture of leisure" encouraged
> there...that
> is, so many of the teachers had been driven so hard by parents in their
> youth that they were really challenging older kids who asked to do or
> learn
> something with "Prove your parents didn't put you up to this!" and
> thereby
> discouraging them. He felt there were lots of kids who might be
> choosing to
> do other things, but they were making friendship bracelets all day
> instead
> because that is what was promoted as "culturally acceptable".

I seen some hints of that among some unschoolers - AFTER they've grown
up and gone to college - then sort of talking the slightly younger kids
out of going to college. I understand that they see - from the vantage
point of having done it - that it wasn't all they'd expected. But,
still, as a parent, it has bothered me to hear Peter Kowalke, for
example, sound like he is persuading kids to not go to college. Peter
is giving a talk at the HSC conference in Sacramento - here is his
blurb:
College Unschooling
- Peter Kowalke
Don’t go to school just because you want or need a college education.
Unschool your way through college! Peter Kowalke, a grown homeschooler
who has written extensively on the topic, discusses why college is not
necessary and explores several unschooler-friendly alternatives.

******

Now - don't get me wrong - I AGREE with him about alternatives being
possible. But he is very influential among the slightly younger kids
and I feel a little "annoyed" as a parent that kids I think are going
to LOVE college are being influenced to be "cool" (not Peter's word -
just my sense of things) - to think of themselves as more radical in
their unschooling - to sort of make a point - and not go to college. If
college isn't for them - then alternatives are awesome - I'm a big
proponent of not going to college just because it is expected, etc.

But I don't like to see someone create (even inadvertently) a "culture"
where going to college is considered an affront to unschooling.

-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

Fetteroll

on 8/12/04 7:43 PM, pam sorooshian at pamsoroosh@... wrote:

> But I don't like to see someone create (even inadvertently) a "culture"
> where going to college is considered an affront to unschooling.

Sort of like being a SAHM is or was an affront to the feminist movement. It
would be nice not to repeat those same mistakes.

Joyce