I think what Mimsy has said is SO so important for students ( and parents)
to understand. I think what can make a diploma valuable is the
individualized, meaningful process one went through to achieve it and being
able to articulate that in the outside world. This is part of building
one's identity and being able to positively invent and present that to
others is an important skill to have as an adult.
Joe, you mentioned a mission of the Fairhaven Fellowship. What is the
mission of your school? Not sure how accurate I am here; but I think SVS's
purpose for students is to help them prepare to become adults in the
community at large. Therefore, for those who choose it, our diploma process
makes sense and seems like it would be very powerful for students. Also,
this sort of interactive evaluation seems like good preparation for the
outside world ( and those college and job interviews!). Our identities are
what we make them to be. Know matter how much a student believes s/he
deserves to earn a SVS diploma, if the Assembly doesn't award one that is
evidence that the student wasn't successful at convincing them- producing
that identity. In the real world, that's how it works. That's a good message
to leave with.
Ann
-- Original Message -----
From: <Msadofsky@aol.com>
To: <discuss-sudbury-model@sudval.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: DSM: Diploma
> Joe asks:
>
> 1) Do you believe the word diploma automatically implies an underlying
> evaluation of the student?
>
> My answer: yes, but I accept that in some cases it does not. However,
when
> presenting oneself to an institution of higher education and/or an
employer,
> explaining what went into earning that diploma has worked wonders for many
> ex-SVS students.
>
> I repeat: it is not HAVING the diploma. It is how it was gotten that
helps
> so much when an ex-SVS'er is trying out his/her wings in the great wide
> world. People are usually darned impressed that (1) writing a thesis was
> part of it; (2) that it was a totally individual process, not a mass one;
(3)
> that no one has to do it in order to leave a Sudbury school with the full
> respect of the school; (4) that the thesis had to be defended before a
large
> group of peers, faculty, and parents who don't know the defendee before a
> vote was taken; (5) that it was not an automatic result of passing a
certain
> number of courses that are laid out for you; (6) that THINKING was part of
> the graduation process. Etc.
>
> So, when choosing to present a diploma to anyone who asks for it after a
> minimum attendance requirement, you cheapen that institution's diploma,
not
> the diplomas of other institutions. It all has to do with how the student
> explains it later. Otherwise, probably a GED would be more valuable.
> Mimsy
>
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