My visit to the Spring Valley School

While I've focused predominantly on free schools and community learning centers during my travels, I have wanted to visit other educational alternatives as well: Montessori (particularly a middle or high school), Sudbury Valley, Neo-Humanist, KPM, and arts integration/social justice programming. In my preliminary research, many months ago, I considered a visit to a Sudbury school in Palm Harbor (currently the only one of its kind in Florida), called the Spring Valley School, but it wasn't until I gave up on the winter plans Northeast that I actually tried to touch base with the school.

When I did, I discovered, to my surprise, that the school's admissions committee (made up of mostly students) would have to meet to decide whether I could come to visit. So I'm thinking: well, what can I say that will convince them that I should visit? I clumsily announce that I'd be happy to offer classes, only to be told that adults don't really offer classes in their environment: students decide for themselves what they want to learn and then ask for it. Ok, well, hmmm...stumbling over my words, I acknowledge this aspect of their program, and the kind teacher on the other end says, "But you can tell me a little about your skills and interests, and I can present a full idea of your background to the committee." Well, I taught history at the high school level, I'm a performance poet and a graphic designer, and I've recently completed training to teach hula-hooping- "Hula Hooping?!?! Oh, our kids LOVE hula hooping. Well, I'll let the admissions committee know, and I'll get back in touch with you in a few weeks." And I slowly let out that breath I'd been holding, confident and surprised that, once again, hooping was the one thing that mattered most.

Sudbury schools are modeled on the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts. They share some core tenets with free schools, particularly a devotion to freedom for participants, but the implementation of these principles looks, well, more structured than any of the free schools I visited. Quoting from their website:
"Creating leaders

Sudbury Valley School is a place where people decide for themselves how to spend their days. Here, students of all ages determine what they will do, as well as when, how, and where they will do it. This freedom is at the heart of the school; it belongs to the students as their right, not to be violated.

The fundamental premises of the school are simple: that all people are curious by nature; that the most efficient, long-lasting, and profound learning takes place when started and pursued by the learner; that all people are creative if they are allowed to develop their unique talents; that age-mixing among students promotes growth in all members of the group; and that freedom is essential to the development of personal responsibility.

In practice this means that students initiate all their own activities and create their own environments. The physical plant, the staff, and the equipment are there for the students to use as the need arises.

The school provides a setting in which students are independent, are trusted, and are treated as responsible people; and a community in which students are exposed to the complexities of life in the framework of a participatory democracy."

The Spring Valley School in Palm Harbor has been operating for just over ten years. They have around 15 students, ranging in age from 5 to 16-17. The school property is really great- a converted home, with an acre of land in the backyard containing progressively more difficult climbing trees and lots of open space. On my tour of the building, I noticed that every space was VERY neat, VERY clean, and VERY beautiful. Of all the schools I've visited so far, Spring Valley is the most visually pleasing.

Later that day I learned WHY the school is so beautiful- responsibilities for the facility and resources are delineated to different corporations, clerks and committees within the school. Students are elected to serve in various capacities for periods of time ranging from a week for some positions to a semester or year for others. There are elections held at specific intervals for different posts, and meetings held to attend to the business of each corporation or committee. The school is so beautiful BECAUSE THE AESTHETICS COMMITTEE MADE IT THAT WAY. It is so clean and tidy because students really care about making the school that way, and develop strategies to separate young messy ones from everyone else so as to isolate their messes.






Diane and Kelly are the only full time staff: Diane is trained teacher who fought her way through public schools until she discovered Sudbury philosophy and Kellie came to work with Spring Valley through identifying a new calling for herself after a career in set design for film and television. Both are truly dedicated to the model, but I get the sense that they wish to connect with other like-minded educators in the area to discharge some of the day-to-day issues that develop in this kind of environment.

So, ok. I had an awesome time with the students. By the end of the week I was really reluctant to leave them! They made masterpieces out of the tubing and tape- one student worked on her hoop for 2 hours without a break, and it was gorgeous! We played games, chatted, danced, and learned about each other the whole time.









There are some elements of the school that I object to, and these are largely in terms of the school structure. For starters, I found the school's way of describing/labeling the different areas of function and management to be simulating an actual experience of adult responsiblity to the degree that they were actually contrived. So, for example, one position of school governance might be the 'elections clerk.' Why is it called that? Did the students decide to appropriate the word 'clerk'? I'd find that hard to believe. What about 'corporation'? This brings up a discussion I had with Chris Mercogliano back in June about the separation of young people from the functional life of their communities, and school's role in re-creating functions within itself as simulated experiences that are sanitized from the larger environment of the 'real world'. It is unsettling to me, partly because it can promote a student's power in unhealthy ways: when someone has control of a particular position, they could emotionally feel justified in exercising their control in a domineering, subordinating fashion. Of course, overt expressions of this power can be handled by the community at large, but sometimes the expressions are too subtle to be noticed by adults. I did see some students doggedly campaigning to keep their positions during the election cycle, and while it is admirable that the school places so much trust in their students as to give them that power, I am concerned about how the power is applied and maintained. Also, the elections occur by way of secret ballot: where is the transparent community support of the process? Why are these students not elected openly in school meetings? What about the students who can not yet read or write- why are they left out of the process? What does it say that at least one student adamantly did not want to participate in the elections- she really did not care who she'd be answering to, whatever the outcome. I noticed that she was pressured to care for a time, and nearly guilt tripped into voting, but eventually allowed to choose NOT to vote. Fundamentally, majority rules at Spring Valley- a form of democracy to be sure, but not the only form around! But the effect of these things is likely negligible, and honestly, in most cases I feel that, even if I find them slightly objectionable, their structures seem to work really well for the school as a community.

Also there is a noticeable lack of diversity at the school. I think there are many reasons for this, the demographics of Palm Harbor being a major one. Also, because the school is small and private, I think they have a harder time attracting and keeping people who are differently identified (differently abled, of different ethnicities or races, etc).

I know that the staff and students express and live from their best intentions everyday, and the school is a genuinely warm environment, just as warm as any of the free schools I've seen. I'm grateful for all the work Diane and Kelly do to keep this space available and thriving for their community- and I'm grateful to know them.

WHILE IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH I mentioned that Spring Valley School is currently the only Sudbury school in Florida, there IS a group founding another Sudbury school in Broward County: The Sunset Sudbury School is in the works, and they are holding events in anticipation of opening soon.

I should be finishing my laundry, but...

Instead I am posting to my blog.

I am about 2 weeks behind in posting stories of January, and while its not as if anyone is particularly keeping count, it irks me. I hate being behind- I've spent quite a while catching up in my History of Educational Alternatives online class, and few things are more infuriating.

Part of the problem is that I have a tremendous fear that I won't be able to accomplish something because people can't trust that I'll do a good enough job, and will thus decide that I should not be involved. I think this is one way in which my major inferiority complex expresses itself, as well as my fear that people will not take me seriously because of my appearance or lack of experience.

This year has forced me to seriously confront my fears with regard to how I appear to others, as I am CONSTANTLY meeting new people and convincing them to let me visit their schools/educational programs. Sometimes, like with Marianne and the School Without Walls in the previous post, its easy. Other times, it just doesn't seem to work.

A perfect example is my haphazard attempts to speak with James Kass, executive director of Youth Speaks. First of all, I have a tremendous sense that he thinks I'm a flake, or a pushy busy-body who is also a flake. This sense stems from the terrible situation that developed last summer: Knowledge (Ray) had put me on the spot by asking me to coach a team from West Palm Beach for Brave New Voices. I told him I was traveling, and while I'd love to go to the festival I would not be available to coach because I wouldn't be in town. He had also put Desiree on the spot, in the same manner, and she indicated that she'd be able to coach but not attend- so we decided to split the duties. UNFORTUNATELY, Knowledge didn't send in the forms in time (so he says), so the West Palm Beach team, who had been getting VERY excited about the competition, suddenly could not compete. I started emailing Hodari Davis, the festival coordinator, to see if anything could be done, and I probably came off a bit rude at times. I likely also emailed James Kass himself about this. In the end, the team traveled as 'entourage' and were subject to some poor treatment because of this, which was partly the nature of the festival, and partly because of residual discomfort at the way Knowledge had handled this...

So, I contact Jame Kass, and briefly indicate that my experiences at BNV came about through working with Knowledge, and the FLAKE alarm starts going off in my head. THEN I missed a phone meeting with him, and now I doubt he'll bother to talk to me. I don't know- I just left a message on his voice mail so we'll see. I'm not stalking, and I don't want to bug him because I know he's busy, but... I REALLY WANT TO volunteer with Youth Speaks while I'm out west.

I just hate feeling like I've fucked up and missed an opportunity.
Oh well.

The School Without Walls

So the cold weather I encountered during my limited autumn engagement in Albany scared me out of plans to spend January in Amherst. Instead, I opted to stay in Florida for the month, and as I watch temperatures and wind chills drop across the midwest, east and south… well, I can’t help feel a bit smug. I’m sorry, but I’m just not in a position to acclimate myself to such weather. Of course, I’ll likely be knee deep in Colorado snow next month, but that’s another story altogether.

Here I am in Florida. I’ve kept busy, at least (what else is new?): visiting schools, meeting with likeminded people, arranging minor renovations to my mom’s new house, and applying for graduate school. While here in state I’m visiting 3 schools, formally: The School Without Walls (Live Oak), Spring Valley School (Palm Harbor), and Grassroots Free School (just outside Tallahassee).

In late December, just before the holiday break, I drove an hour and a half outside Gainesville into the farms around Live Oak to meet the students and staff of the School Without Walls. I should mention that this is not the only school with this name: another prominent educational alternative with the same name exists in Rochester, and there’s a public School Without Walls in Washington D.C. The school I headed to on that December morning is LITERALLY a School Without Walls: while the school maintains an address, there is NO SCHOOL BUILDING. Much of their work occurs on the ranch outside, or in a home setting with computers and a wireless network where students participate in online classes via Florida Virtual School. They also have an off-site community center for arts classes, and take trips to other spaces in the community to supplement their educational resources.

Here’s how I learned about them- back in May of 2008 I sent out this email to the AERO School Starters listserve:

“Hello, fellow school-starters and mentors,

I'm nearing the end of a very comfortable teaching job at an arts charter high school in South Florida, about to embark on a research mission to see how educational alternatives work so I can eventually start my own. On this dark and stormy night, after a string of ominous dreams, I'm trying to convince myself it is still a good idea.

My plan is to travel to as many different schools as possible, to volunteer for some length of time at most (3-6 months) and get a feel for the practical, day to day elements and obstacles. I am looking to open a school about 6 years from now. I'm selling my car, hoping to be able to rent/buy (and then donate) bikes and use public transportation in most of my destinations.

But I'm feeling a little apprehensive. For starters, it is the end of the school year, and in my reflections on this past year I can see very significant aspects of my teaching that deserve improvement. I'm concerned that the experience that I gain as I travel will likely not help me bridge this gap.

I'm also very intimidated by the wealth, breadth and depth of information on alternative education. I really want a world class understanding in the theory and background of various educational models before I make any grand gestures or conclusions, but I feel more than a little uncomfortable traversing this intellectual space with no guide (and, soon, no net).
Finally, I'm wary of the shallow network I currently have. It may be that I haven't taken full stock of my resources, or that I haven't reached out to enough schools (I'm trying to wait until at least June, so I can keep as much of my focus on this current school year as humanly possible), or that I'm just scared of leaving my lovely, loving community without a solid program to go to.
I've made a lot of planning progress in the last month, but I'm SO nervous! Any advice (sage or otherwise) is welcome.
Thanks, Casandra”

I received this reply a few days later:

“Hi Casandra
I would like to speak to you and would welcome your visit. Possibly you could come and experience our school and it would settle some of your fears. We started with no money. We do not have a building and yet we are thriving. There is so much more I could say but email it so limiting. If you would like call me at……
To Your Success,
Marianne”

I followed the links in the signature area of the email to a website about a school in Live Oak. At that time, my mom was still married, living in Tucson, with no plans to move to Gainesville and I was not planning to visit ANY of the known alternatives in Florida (which were, at that time: Spring Valley in Palm Harbor and the Grassroots Free School up in Tally). Why? Well: travelling around towns and small cities in Florida is rough. Public transit is virtually non-existent, and I’d need a car to really accomplish my goals in those areas. Also- I intended to spend the ENTIRE year outside Florida, for other reasons. So, while I deeply appreciated the email (and I think I sent a reply expressing as much), I didn’t commit to a visit then. Months later, of course, when I realized I’d be in Gainesville for a bit in the winter while helping my mom transition to a new house, I contacted Marianne.

As I turned onto the sprawling property, I was momentarily confused… I didn’t see any kids, any horses, just a house. Too timid to knock on the door, I decided to drive deeper into the property and see what I’d find. Sure enough, in a minute I came upon a rambunctious group of dogs and children who were waiting for me to arrive. I bounded out of the car to meet everyone, very excited about the dogs (I just love dogs). We exchanged names, pet the fur balls, and headed to a covered patio outside the house where a four year old promptly asked if I’d like any water to drink. Marianne and I started talking about the school: the inspiration, the rhythm of the day, educational opportunities in the world around us, the students and their histories. It was all very interesting, and then she said “well, you’ll see what we do. We’re going to take you out in the field so you can work with the horses, too. And then later, if you want to, we’ll go for a ride.”

WHAT?!

Ok, I was a little shocked. I knew that a big part of the mission of the school is training with horses, and I figured I’d watch the students work with the horses, but soon enough I was there in the field, carrot stick in hand, trying to get the appropriately named Joker to walk in a circle around me.

Now, I don’t DISLIKE horses. I like them, but I have never really been able to connect with a horse, or establish any sort of relationship with them. I’ve ridden horses before, very briefly- I just figured that there were some people in the world who are HORSE people, who love to ride, who love these animals dearly, and that I was just not one of those people.

Man, I wish I had remembered to take my camera out of the car. It was hysterical! Here I was, in a large sunny field, surrounded by young people who commanded their horses with virtuosic flair, and Joker just stood there as if daring me to actually communicate anything he’d be likely to understand. And really, that’s the key: communication. Horses are these big, muscular beasts. You have to use your whole body and summoned integrity to ‘speak’ to them. The students taught me A LOT out there, in the field, and it is truly inspiring to see them work with the animals. Much of their education is situated in the living, natural world around them: they have way more hands on knowledge of veterinary medicine and animal care at 9 and 10 years old than I ever will. And this is not any kind of elite riding academy- some students bring a tremendous amount of fear that the school community helps them overcome with regard to animals, particularly riding horses. Can you imagine what the world would be like if students were gently encouraged and kindly assisted to overcome their fears?!?!

We did go for a ride, but not before Marianne mentioned Wellington, and I discovered that her family actually lived for many years in Lake Worth: we have mutual friends. Pause and marvel at the profoundly intricate, beautiful webs we weave through our relationships!

So yeah- the school is a magical space. I’ll definitely return when I can.

Happy New Year!

For a laugh: this is an email I sent to close friends a couple of years ago. And I have to say, watching people take tests is VERY DIFFICULT for me. I had a laughing fit in high school while witnessing a class take an exam...

"Things I want to say while my students are taking an exam:
>
> “Look at me, look at me, look at me!”
>
> “Mooo.”
>
> “For #21, the answer is D.”
>
> “What, you’re not done already?”
>
> “Stop being so quiet!”
>
> “This test is not important, anyway.”
>
> “Let’s all sing TV show theme songs.”
>
> “Bingo!”