Learning Through Living: July 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sudbury School Conference

George, Munchitrot, Dar6win, Sego Lily Mama and Catiantha attended the Sudbury School Conference at the Fairhaven School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in June. We learned a lot, met amazing people and felt the support of others making a difference in education.

Sego Lily Mama gave a great speech on "Why Starting a Sudbury School is a Bad Idea and 10 Reasons You Should Do it Anyway"

We want to thank Fairhaven School for opening their beautiful campus to us and teaching us the fine art of eating Maryland blue crab! And we also want to thank all of those that shared their thoughts and experiences with us. It was such an inspiration!

Cherry Picking With Munchitrot

Munchitrot stopped in to visit for a few days and Batman and Cocoa the Destroyer had a blast with her picking cherries and eating their fill! There are quite a few fruit trees on our school property. The cooking corporation uses the apples to make apple pies in the fall :)

Cuties!

Must have been a sour one!

We miss you Munchitrot!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Compost!!!

Who ever knew that rotten food could be so exciting?!?

Sending a big thank you to EcoScraps for giving us such a generous deal on 10 cubic yards of compost. We're very happy to be using EcoScraps for a number of reasons:

Very good quality compost - Plants grow better in EcoScraps compost than in soil using chemical fertilizers.
No need to use chemical fertilizers - Yuck. Who wants to eat petroleum?
Local company - EcoScraps was started by a couple of students in Utah.
Sustainability - Last (but not least), EcoScraps uses food waste from restaurants and grocery stores to produce their compost. This business model saves a valuable resource from going to the landfill and provides an economic incentive for all involved.

Very cool.

Thanks also to Wasatch Community Gardens for all of the valuable training and resources as well as the grant we used to buy the compost and the drip irrigation system (soon to come).

And of course... thanks to our students and parent volunteers for their hard work getting the compost spread out and leveled! We're one step closer to growing food!

EcoScraps delivering the compost

Gorilla Girl helps to spread it out

Cassandra and Cocoa The Destroyer declare victory!

Skippy and his father tilling the compost

About Our School

Children are naturally curious and want to learn. We feel it is the job of a school to nurture that curiosity. Providing our students with the time, facilities and support (when requested) to pursue their interests and unique talents is our ultimate goal.

Students of all ages can learn with and from each other. Children from age 4-18 mix freely at Sego Lily School.

Play is the language of children. Children of all ages learn through play. Play takes many forms, from a game of catch to a creative endeavor, but all forms of play are a valid and important part of a person’s development.

Learning happens everywhere, all of the time. Learning takes place in formal and informal settings, in large or small groups, with or without staff members or mentors, but all learning is initiated by the student.

Decisions should be made by the people they affect. Sego Lily School is run by the students and staff, through the weekly School Meeting. Each student and staff member has one equal vote in this managing body. The Judicial Committee, also composed of students and staff, handles rule infractions. Parents have a role in setting school policies through the Assembly, which meets annually or as needed.

FAQs

1. How do children learn at Sego Lily School?
Children are naturally curious and want to learn about their environment. When a student is given the responsibility for his education, as well as the freedom, support, and respect needed to fulfill his goals, learning begins to take place as a natural byproduct of all activities. Children challenge themselves and each other as they gain confidence and learn new skills.

2. Will my child learn everything she needs to know?
The basic knowledge of reading, writing, and math that are used by adults on a daily basis cannot be avoided by a student who is experimenting with her interests and passions. There will come a time for each student when learning these skills becomes essential to pursuing the path she is following. Allowing children to follow their own time lines can actually increase their learning curves – when motivated to read, for example, a child will throw herself into the task, learning more quickly than a child who is being told, “Now is the time to learn this.”

3. Do the students really run the school?
Yes! Students and staff work together to run the Sego Lily School. The students and staff members each have one vote in the weekly School Meeting and make all decisions needed for the school to run smoothly, including passing laws, allocating funds, and hiring staff. The Judicial Committee, composed of students and staff, handles rule infractions. School Meeting members also have a vote in the Assembly, the larger voting body which includes parents and board members, in making policy decisions such as setting tuition rates and approving the annual budget.

4. How does graduation work?
Each student, upon completing the requirements for graduation, must write and present a thesis. The topic of this thesis is “I am prepared to become a responsible adult in society.” The student must defend this thesis at the annual meeting of the Assembly. After receiving a favorable vote from Assembly members, students will receive a Certificate of Graduation. State regulations in Utah do not allow us to be accredited or to issue official state diplomas. However, most colleges will accept graduation certificates from non-accredited schools or a GED.

5. What about college?
Many students will want to continue their educations with some form of higher learning – college, university, or trade school. For these students, the statistics from the Sudbury Valley School (SVS) are in their favor! 90% of students that attended SVS from 1968 to 2004 went on to some form of secondary education. Most of these students were accepted into the school of their first choice. Students simply take their SATs and write essays for their applications, and interview with administrators when necessary. Usually a certificate of graduation is adequate for admissions. Current statistical trends in higher education suggest that having an “alternative” education is actually a benefit in the admissions process. Many prestigious schools such as Harvard and Yale Universities are looking for students who can do much more than learn what is placed in front of them. We are happy to support our students in any way we can with their application process.