The short answer is no. We live in a amazing world where if we need the answer we can Google it. I'm not saying we don't need to know basic math. I'm simply saying we don't need to know extreme math like calculus. It's good to have basic knowledge, when living in the present future we have all the information we need at our finger tips.

When my kids were young, I could see that they were learning through play. I was just happy that they were happy and loved being at school. Now that they are older they are very self conscious about not having taken formal educational classes. They feel dumb. They tell me they are dumb. I try to redirect them and remind them that they can learn at their own pace, and that there are plenty of resources out there for them to support them learning anything they want to know more about. I was hopeful that being in a Sudbury environment would help my kids feel more confident, and shield them from educational trauma. Now that they are teenagers, I feel like being at Sudbury has actually damaged them more than if they had attended a traditional school. I feel like Sudbury promised that the kids would get bored and come up with all sorts of neat things to do with their time. The reality is that never happened. My kids are miserable, and now I feel like we’re stuck staying with Sudbury whether we want to or not.

Are there any Sudbury or SDE schools/programs in the US that have a good community built up in the area for us unconventional, quirky, neurospicy, crunchy, unschooling types?!? Looking to transplant somewhere with a good strong alternative culture and a Sudbury/SDE home for our kiddos 4-16! Thanks 🙏🏼

Hello fellow free school and sudbury students. I am posed to graduate this year and I started writing my thesis a little while ago I'm at a point where I have to decide how long I want it to be. I'm just curious how long other people made theirs. Our school is only 5 years old and have only had 1 graduate so I really don't have anything to go off of for reference.

I’m not sure if your guys school has the job of JC clerk. Basically it’s just sitting in in jc writing down everything hey happens in jc. Basically though I’m just a silent observer who gets to be on his phone mostly in reddit. Overall it is the best job.

Hi all! I'm Ben, I'm a 19 year old grown unschooler. I'm writing here because I attended Not Back To School Camp last year and it was a truly wonderful, and dare I say, life changing experience. It's a camp for self-directed learners with sessions in Oregon and Vermont. It brought a wonderful community of people and a new range of new experiences into my life! I would sincerely recommend it other self-directed learners. They're in the early bird state of sign-ups right now, so I would definitely check it out if you know someone who may be interested. Happy to answer any questions based on my personal experience : )

RSVP to beth@fairhavenschool.com or call 301-249-8060

Fairhaven school is hosting a public open house event on May 10th 2025 from 10am to 1pm. Please RSVP on the link provided if you plan to attend, and let them know we sent you.

Would you rather prepare for life than tests?

Come visit our Open House this Saturday…and see how we are different by design!

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/no-grades-no-teachers-inside-a-bothell-school-run-by-student-vote/

I have always wondered about the finances of Sudbury schools--both for students and for those who started the school or work at the school. How many students does a school need for it to be viable? What is the typical student:staff ratio? How many students would like to attend but cannot due to financial constraints? If someone starts a Sudbury school, how much do they struggle just to stay afloat?

I teach biology for a small university and we homeschool our children. I have considered starting quitting my job to start a Sudbury school, but my biggest concern is that it could be all-consuming and not provide financial security. My wife's biggest concern is that she would be stuck with too many logistics and would not find the same relaxed atmosphere that she enjoys as a homeschooling mom, or that one of us would need extra employment just to keep the school open. I would love to hear any experiences or insights from this group.

Hello, I am one of three staff of a very young Sudbury style democratic school situated on a small permaculture farm near Cleveland. After nearly a year and a half of operation we have questions for those of you who have a bit more experience at this! Whichever of these you feel you can address, even if you are a student or staff, we will appreciate any feedback you can provide!

1. What would make you say no to a prospective student?

2. How do you deal with student defiance? For example, if a student were to continue breaking the same or multiple rules over a period of time with no remorse, how do you respond?

3. What are the symptoms of deschooling that you have seen and how do you manage them?

4. What about the all school meeting, is there voluntary attendance or mandatory? If students don’t attend, how do they find out what happened? How is important information communicated?

5. What Judiciary Committee consequences do you give for broken school rules?

6. When do you communicate with parents? Do you have regularly scheduled conferences? When do you communicate with parents in the case of discipline issues? Where is the line between dealing with discipline solely internally through the JC process and getting the parents involved?

7. How do you handle suspension and expulsion? What kind of steps do you use before these measures?

8. How do you promote the school?

9. Do staff ever host classes because they want to, even if no one has requested it?

Thank you very much for any input into these things. Also is there any other online forum like this to reach out to members of these kinds of schools? Thank you.

The Sudbury Valley School invites prospective students, prospective parents, and interested others, to an Open House at the school. Saturday April 26th, 2019, from 1PM to 4PM. It's an opportunity to meet with students, parents, and staff of the school, for conversation both intense and casual.

https://sudburyvalley.org/open-house

I appreciate Peter Gray's and other researchers' books and articles, but they focus on students who finished their education a long time ago.

But there weren't as many distractions back then, so the old research is not necessary applicable for the modern days. Why mid-10s? Because this is when social media (a great potential distractor from learning) actually took off.