![]() "Learning flows from one topic to another," he says. I ask Erez, the staff member on duty that day, whether it's hard for these kids to get motivated to do any real learning. The school itself is partitioned like a house, with a living room, kitchen, art room, tech room (with large throw pillows in front of video monitors), a "quiet room" lined with books and an exercise yard. Students and adult staff (who instruct students only when asked by the students for help) gather in "judicial meetings" to resolve conflicts and dole out money for supplies and activities from the budget. One person, one vote, whether you're 5 or 65. Also, there is no hierarchy at the school. Graduates, such as Hail, will have to pass the GED test to meet state high school requirements. The school is not accredited, so it cannot confer a diploma. Then you can make up your mind whether it's enlightened education or a waste of a $3,620 in yearly tuition.įirst, though, a few things to know about how things work at DVS. In a moment, we'll let Hail and Ofer Erez, one of the school's staff members, explain themselves. But I suspended my judgment as a public-school parent and jumped at the chance when the students and staff of Diablo Valley School invited me on campus to talk to its Class of 2002 graduate. In the past 10 years, 17 other schools have opened using the Sudbury model, including one in Concord and one in Sacramento.Ĭonfession: I'm a parent of kids in public schools, and I support a set curriculum. This radical answer to the rigidity of state-mandated curricula and standardized testing began in Framingham, Mass., in 1968 with the formation of the Sudbury Valley School. This self-directed alternative education must be another kooky Northern California creation, right? Wrong. Its overriding ethos is that children seek out the information they need at their own pace, that it's the child's job, not some adult's, to initiate learning, that if your son just wants to sit and play video games all day or chat with a girlfriend on the couch for five hours, hey, that's cool. There are no grades, no homework, no tests, no set hours, no teachers, no administration. "A Different Kind of School" is the motto on DVS' brochure. Critics call it "unschooling" or just plain loafing supporters call it a free- thinking, democratic way for children to learn at their own pace and according to their own interests. You may have heard about schools such as Diablo Valley. Her wishes were granted because, at this school, what students want, students get. "It's sort of weird being the only one," Hail said. Last year, Diablo Valley School's first graduating class consisted of three teens, but this year it's just Hail, 17, a Concord resident. She is the class at this 5- year-old alternative school for students ages 5 to 19. See, Hail didn't just finish first in her class. Saturday, the 25 students and staff will gather for a year-end party and to say goodbye to its graduating class of 2002 - Camelia Hail. There will be no solemn graduation procession and inspirational speeches, no gowns and mortar boards, no tassle-turning at this small school in a converted house a diploma's throw from the Concord BART station.
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