During the 2023-2024 School Year Hudson Valley Sudbury School (HVSS) became Zena Democratic School (ZDS). All references to HVSS in articles, social media posts, blogs, etc., should be considered to refer to the history of ZDS!
Why I Choose Sudbury
I think it is now widely acknowledged that the U.S. school system was originally intended to produce lots of good factory workers – individuals who have basic literacy and are […]
Free at Last
The following is an extract from the book Free at Last published by the Sudbury Valley Press and available on their website at: http://bookstore.sudburyvalley.org/product/free-last. And ‘Rithmetic Sitting before me were […]
What Difference Does A Sudbury Education Make
At our March informational meeting, a skeptical father asked me a very straight-forward question. He explained that after reading about the graduates of Sudbury Valley School he was convinced that […]
Lessons of a Sudbury Education
As we sit in our school’s main lounge, trying to write about the underlying lessons of a Sudbury education, we often find ourselves “off task.” We are watching the bustling […]
Kingdom of Childhood Growing Up at Sudbury Valley School
From interivews by Hanna Greenberg; Edited by Mimsy Sadofsky and Daniel Greenberg Chapter 11 I came to Sudbury Valley the first summer we were open. I was seven. I was […]
Education in America (excerpts)
The following is an excerpt from Education in America: A View from Sudbury Valley, by Daniel Greenberg. The book is published by the Sudbury Valley School Press and is available […]
The Sudbury Model of Education
The Responsibility Spectrum The fundamental difference between a Sudbury school and any other type of school is the student’s level of responsibility. In a Sudbury school the students are […]
A Clearer View (excerpt)
The following excerpt is taken from the book A Clearer View, by Daniel Greenberg. The book is available from the Sudbury Valley School Press at their online store at: http://bookstore.sudburyvalley.org/product/clearer-view […]
Reflections on the Sudbury School Concept (excerpts)
The following excepts are from Reflection on the Sudbury School Concept, edited by Mimsy Sadofsky and Daniel Greenberg. The author of each except is listed with the except. Reflections on […]
Child Rearing (excerpts)
The following is an extract from the book Child Rearing by Daniel Greenberg. The book is available at the Sudbury Valley School Press online store at: http://bookstore.sudburyvalley.org/product/child-rearing Chapter 9 – […]
“OK, So You’re Sort of Like…”
After hearing a short explanation of our school’s philosophy, many people understandably try to link it with something already familiar to them. The most frequently mentioned “so-you’re-sort-of-likes” are listed below. […]
School is a Fantasy
School is a fantasy, a mirage of security cooked up by dreamy social engineers, a band-aid to place on parental worry; in reality there is no way to prepare kids […]
Due Process
We should not romanticize kids – after all, they can be cruel. In fact, experimenting with cruelty is part of growing up. At HVSS, we don’t persecute people for acting […]
The Crisis in American Education (excerpts)
The following is from the book, The Crisis in American Education published by the Sudbury Valley School Press. To purchase the book, please visit their website at: http://bookstore.sudburyvalley.org/product/crisis-american-education Part 1: […]
Injustice
The following was written by a staff member of the Sudbury Valley School. For more information about the Sudbury Valley School, visit: http://sudburyvalley.org/ Realizing that youth is the time in […]
The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher
John Taylor Gatto has been named the New York City Teacher of the Year on 3 occasions. In 1991 he was named the New York State Teacher of the Year. […]
The Public School Nightmare
John Taylor Gatto has been named the New York City Teacher of the Year on 3 occasions. In 1991 he was named the New York State Teacher of the Year. […]
What’s the Buzz?
The buzzing sound is always present. Sometimes it swells up, loudly cloaking us all in an almost tangible roar. Sometimes it softens to background murmur. But always it changes, moment […]
What Are They Learning?
What do kids learn at The Circle School? More than I can know or name, I’m sure. But what do we see them learning? Here’s what some of the staff […]
Dancing ‘Round Castles
I’ll begin with a little background about my children coming to The Circle School. Last year I came to the school as a new staff person. Zeb and Jyles, my […]
Learning to Trust Oneself
The following article appears in the book The Sudbury Valley School Experience, Edited by Mimsy Sadofsky and Daniel Greenberg. The article is written by Alan White. The Sudbury Valley School […]
Back to Basics
Why go to school? For people who like to think through the important questions in life for themselves, Sudbury Valley stands as a challenge to the accepted answers. Intellectual basics […]
The Art of Doing Nothing
The following is from the book The Sudbury Valley School Experience, Edited by Mimsy Sadofsky and Daniel Greenberg. The author of the article is Hanna Greenberg. The book can be […]
A Few Words on SVS
The Sudbury Valley School has been in operation for more than 30 years now, and several other schools around and outside our country (the United States) see our school’s success […]
The Three Rs: Rules, Respect, Responsibility
Why We Are Not a “School with No Rules” An article in a local Massachusetts paper recently described Sudbury Valley School as a “School with No Rules.” The reporter obviously […]
How Kids Learn and Learn and Learn
Fairhaven School’s two fundamental principles are, of course, freedom and democracy. But sometimes, since these two ideas are sensible and decent in their own right, we lose sight of their […]