By Abby N. and Zoey G.
School: A place of learning, books, and cafeteria food. But every school is different and offers different things to the world of knowledge. Let’s take a look at Spring Valley School, a very interesting and unique school.
What is so unique about Spring Valley School, you may ask? Well, we’re going to try to answer that question and many more including location, setting, and activities children do throughout their day.
About Spring Valley:
Spring Valley is a Sudbury school based in Palm Harbor, FL, according to the Spring Valley School’s website. A Sudbury school is a school where kids choose what they want to learn and what they want to get taught by themselves. What makes this school unique is that the students basically run the school. In other words, the kids run a democracy. According to the website Spring Valley School, the students have a leader who is a part of the “Judicial Committee” that discusses rules, punishments, and more. Spring Valley students decide on many different, important factors of the school such as: controlling the school’s budget, hiring or firing staff when they choose, and suspending or expelling students, along with increasing or decreasing the tuition. The school accepts kids ranging from the ages of 5 to 18 years old.
After Graduation:
One interesting fact about the school is that if students stay there for at least 3 years, they can get their high school diplomas. In addition, they can graduate whenever they choose to. Some of the kids who have recently graduated from Spring Valley include a current college student, a bartender, a nutritionist, and a child who had thought of a truck driving career the last time the school checked with the student.
Interview
Interviewer: Do you think the Sudbury method is better, or do you think the traditional-method schooling is better?
Mrs. Rogan: “The Sudbury method is easy to implement as grades advance. More appropriate for older students and not as effective for younger kids. Considering 3rd grade, and if 3rd graders had different interests, it wouldn’t be effective for twenty kids and 2 teachers to depend on by themselves.”
Interviewer: Do you think it would be more effective to implement the Sudbury method in high school to get prepared for college?
Mrs.Rogan: “Learning to manage time as you need to and developing interests is a better option for older kids such as in high school. They can express more in their areas of interests, and speak more for what they like and have learned, along with getting the help they need to pursue what they want.”
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the school might work, but not for all kids. It depends on which kid you send to that school. Some students might need more help academically, so they may do better in a traditional school. Kids who are more gifted academically and ready to graduate early might do better in an environment like Spring Valley. In addition, different ages of kids might be better suited than others for this unschooling method. The unschooling method will help kids pursue what they want, but it also comes with pros and cons.