Hi,
Bill wrote: And then this leads
> us to take our one, and only one, idea, which is freedom for the child,
and
> think that it must tend toward something. If the eventual summation we do
> with the child is to critique whether they have prepared themselves for
the
> responsibilites of the larger community, then we have turned the offering
of
> freedom into pedagogy. We then have not changed the core notion that the
> child is an improver. We have paid a huge price for our fealty. We could
be
> an alternative to education, and we have become alternative education.
>
> Consider the realities for the child, of the leaving time, the end game.
The
> school will still be there. The parents will be around. The staff will be
> back. The founders will still build. The assembly will continue. It is the
> child who is leaving. The child owns these moments. Reread "The Art of
Doing
> Nothing". It is at the leaving time that its' ideas must best be in our
> bones. Do nothing. Sit. Wait. Listen. Be with them. Be with our own selves
as
> they go.
>
> If we need feedback, comfort for us that we have done good by them,
reread
> "Kingdom of Childhood", study the Plasticine work. If we want particular
> feedback from a particular child, ask. Ask that they write for us the way
it
> was for them. If they will write it, the leaving children, every year,
will
> easily write a book as good as "Kingdom". Every year. And they will write
it
> as they have lived it. Freely.
Stuednst who attend Booroobin can leave at any time they wish. Some have.
2 Students, the only 2 who have sought it, have applied to Graduate. The
Students and Staff agreed about the process to graduate together. They
defend their Thesis that they have prepared themselves for life as an
effective adult in the larger community. I believe it is a "rite of
passage" in this community for your peers, Staff and parents (people
experienced in life and work and further education) to assess whether in
their individual opinions that the Student has done the research, had the
experiences that will assist them to make it. It's a rite just as much as
has been in various tribal settings. At Booroobin, if the majority of
people, through a secret ballot believe the Student has adequately defended
their thesis, they have "graduated", and a Diploma is issued. That may
change over time. Here it is a great occasion and is treated with much
respect. Students don't need it. It is their choice. No pressure is
applied to undertake the process. But you can tell it is very important
when you watch the Students and the effort they put into it.
Regards, Derek
The Booroobin Sudbury School
www.booroobinschool.com.au
----- Original Message -----
From: <Sugmapl@aol.com>
To: <discuss-sudbury-model@sudval.org>
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 1:17 AM
Subject: Re: DSM: David Rovner's and Bruce Smith's recent posts on the
Diploma
> Dear Linda,
>
> Thank you very much. You wrote
>
> > Thank you for the recent postings in support of "no diploma". I have
chosen
> > this route personally (I have about 180+ college hours and no college
> > degree) and yet did not really consider it an option for the school. I
> guess
> > that shows how in-grained it is in our culture.
>
>
> It appears to me that what is really ingrained is this notion of
education.
> There is this tremendous fealty paid to "education". It's like: "they are
> children, and they go someplace for most of the day, a lot of days, so it
> must be 'school' and they must be envolved in education". And then this
leads
> us to take our one, and only one, idea, which is freedom for the child,
and
> think that it must tend toward something. If the eventual summation we do
> with the child is to critique whether they have prepared themselves for
the
> responsibilites of the larger community, then we have turned the offering
of
> freedom into pedagogy. We then have not changed the core notion that the
> child is an improver. We have paid a huge price for our fealty. We could
be
> an alternative to education, and we have become alternative education.
>
> Consider the realities for the child, of the leaving time, the end game.
The
> school will still be there. The parents will be around. The staff will be
> back. The founders will still build. The assembly will continue. It is the
> child who is leaving. The child owns these moments. Reread "The Art of
Doing
> Nothing". It is at the leaving time that its' ideas must best be in our
> bones. Do nothing. Sit. Wait. Listen. Be with them. Be with our own selves
as
> they go.
>
> If we need feedback, comfort for us that we have done good by them,
reread
> "Kingdom of Childhood", study the Plasticine work. If we want particular
> feedback from a particular child, ask. Ask that they write for us the way
it
> was for them. If they will write it, the leaving children, every year,
will
> easily write a book as good as "Kingdom". Every year. And they will write
it
> as they have lived it. Freely.
>
>
> Warm Regards,
> Bill Richardson
>
>
>
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0.0 : Wed Mar 27 2002 - 19:39:48 EST