Alpine Valley School Podcast

Like many schools around the world, Alpine Valley School is currently closed. Without a physical space where we can congregate, our self-directed learning community is figuring out how to come together virtually. In this episode we talk about how our school is handling the current situation and hear advice from AVS graduates on handling boredom - something they practiced with often as students.

Visit our website: www.alpinevalleyschool.com

In this episode, we sit down with the parents of three currently enrolled students. The Shannon family shares what brought them to Alpine Valley School, and what they've noticed after being involved for a few years. You might be surprised by what the parents themselves have learned along the way!

Want more?

• Listen to more parent interviews on our panel episodes: Mom's Panel & Dad's Panel

• Read a blog post from a current parent: It Just Made Sense

• Hear from other current parents at our sister school Arts & Ideas in Baltimore

• Read more blog posts by other current parents at Sudbury Valley School

• Watch a video interview with one of our current students.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

To celebrate the milestone of our 50th episode, the Alpine Valley School podcast collected favorite stories from Sudbury Schools all over the USA. These stories - funny, insightful, and thought-provoking - provide an inside look at self-directed learning environments across the country.

Want more?

• Learn more about the schools that shared stories on this episode:

  • The Circle School - Harrisburg, PA

  • Sego Lily School - Salt Lake City, UT

  • Miami Sudbury School - Miami, FL

  • Three Rivers Village School - Pittsburgh, PA

• Read about one author's first experience with Sudbury schooling

• Read an excerpt from Sudbury Valley School's book "Kingdom of Childhood".

• Watch a video from Tallgrass Sudbury School about a typical day.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

Sudbury schools and Unschoolers have always had quite a bit of overlap in their philosophies, but how do unschooled students manage the transition to a self-directed school environment with a lot more structure, particularly in the Judicial System? In this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast, we interview Houston Sudbury School founder Cara DeBusk on her journey as an unschooling parent into the founder of a Sudbury school.

Want more?

• Learn more about the Houston Sudbury School.

• Join Alpine Valley School for an upcoming Open House.

• Listen to our episode on Judicial Committee.

• Listen to more Founding Stories from other Sudbury Schools.

• Read a blog post about Unschooling and Sudbury from Tallgrass Sudbury School.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

Important decisions at our school are made, not by a central authority figure, but by the democratic process of voting. All students and staff at the school cast their vote on critical issues including the election of key School Meeting officials, and the hiring of the staff members themselves. In this episode we dive deep into the elections process at school - how do elections work, why do we do them, and what do students get out of participating in this process? Find out on this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast.

Want more?

• Learn more about the role of School Meeting Chair on another podcast episode.

• Hear from staff members at other Sudbury schools on our Founding Stories series.

• Read more about the process of hiring staff at one of our sister schools, Hudson Valley Sudbury School.

• Read a blog post about the power of children voting from Tallgrass Sudbury School.

• Hear more about the founding of Alpine Valley School in this video.

• Support Alpine Valley School by using Amazon Smile!

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

Everyone at Alpine Valley School (students and staff alike) participate in doing cleaning chores twice a week. On this episode, we follow a Chore-Checker (the student responsible for making sure chores are done, and to the appropriate standard) on their rounds and share our rationale behind why we have chores in the first place. Believe it or not, there are a lot of developmental advantages to doing chores, beyond the obvious benefits of having a clean place to play every day.

Show Notes Page (including a transcript)

Want more?

• Read more about chore-related successes in a blog post: This is What Innovation Looks Like

• Read a New York Times article about the importance of kids tackling chores.

• Listen to another podcast episode featuring our graduate Kelsey: Amplify Your Passion.

• Listen to a group of graduates talk about their experience with Open Campus at school.

• Watch a video featuring graduates of one of our sister schools talking about how they went on to college after graduation.

• Support Alpine Valley School by using Amazon Smile!

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

This is the third part of our special series called Founding Stories, in which we interview founders of other self-directed democratic schools around the world. On this episode, we are transported to downtown Baltimore, Maryland, to the Arts and Ideas Sudbury School. Founder Caroline Chavasse takes us through the early days of their school which includes a documentary film, a play group, and even a little sprinkle of divine intervention.

Want more?

• Find out more about Arts & Ideas Sudbury School

• Listen to part two of our founding stories series: The Open School

• Hear about how Alpine Valley School was founded, from Larry Welshon

• Subscribe to the Alpine Valley School podcast so that you never miss an episode!

• Support Alpine Valley School on Colorado Gives Day!

• Watch the documentary mentioned in this episode: Voices From the New American Schoolhouse

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

This is the second part of our special series called Founding Stories, in which we interview founders of other self-directed democratic schools around the world. This episode takes us to sunny California to the two (yes, two) campuses of The Open School. Hear how founder Cassi Clausen's Master's Degree in Education led her to the self-directed democratic schooling model. You'll also learn about the pioneering days of The Open School OC - bet you can't guess where they held their first day of school!

Want more?

• Find out more about The Open School

• Listen to part one of our Founding Stories Series: East Kent Sudbury School

• Hear about how Alpine Valley School was founded, from Larry Welshon

• Subscribe to the Alpine Valley School podcast so that you never miss an episode!

• Support Alpine Valley School on Colorado Gives Day!

• Read some posts from The Open School's amazing blog.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

This is the first in our series of special episodes called Founding Stories, in which we interview founders of other self-directed democratic schools around the world. On this episode, we chat with Kezia Cantwell-Wright from East Kent Sudbury School in Kent, England. Kezia shares her own family's personal journey to alternative education, what it took to get their school off the ground, and her advice for starting an alternative school - which may surprise you!

Want more?

• Find out more about East Kent Sudbury School

• Listen to another interview with Circle School co-founder Jim Rietmulder

• Hear about how Alpine Valley School was founded, from Larry Welshon

• Subscribe to the Alpine Valley School podcast so that you never miss an episode!

• Watch a video about deciding what you want to be when you grow up (or not).

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

The notion that self-directed schools, like Alpine Valley School, involve students only pursuing the subjects they find interesting is partially true, but it's not the whole story. There are other lessons, too - harder ones. That's the subject of episode 43 of our show. Former AVS staff member Bruce Smith (currently a staff member at Clearview School) guides listeners through the unsought learning that happens at our school, which is in many cases just as valuable (if not more) than the passions that our students pursue.

Want more?

• Read the original blog post that inspired this talk: Unsought Learning

• Help support Alpine Valley School by making a donation!

• Find out more about Bruce's current school: Clearview Sudbury School.

• Read more from Bruce Smith.

• Listen to another podcast episode by the students, for the students.

• Tour Alpine Valley School and come see our model first-hand.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.