Mountain Laurel Sudbury School
147 West Main Street New Britain CT 06052 (860) 828-4077
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Why Sudbury?
    • Democracy - The Running of Our School
    • Age Mixing
    • Learning
    • Personal Responsibility
    • Leadership & Life Skills
  • Tuition & Enrollment
  • Testimonials
    • Anna's Story
    • What Parents Really Think...
    • More Information
  • FAQ's
  • Other Sudbury Schools
  • Blog
  • School Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Forums

Flattened

12/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Part of the justification for authoritarian schools is that kids will have to face similar levels of authoritarianism from their workplaces when they grow older.  Ignore for a moment that no law forces anyone to attend a job they haven't chosen.  The premise is also demonstrably untrue.

As time progresses, more and more workplaces become more and more "flattened."  That is to say, less power is invested in managers, and workers have more flexibility in how they handle the work, from hours to dress code.  They'll probably be able to contribute their own ideas.  It's less about maintaining the boss's power, and more about letting the only worry be that the work has been done to a professional level by the deadline.

Add it to the long list of reasons to prefer Sudbury.  We're already flattened.



Sean Vivier, MLSS Staff
0 Comments

Rough Play

12/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Every Sudbury school is going to handle rough play differently, based on the values and experiences of that particular community. At Mountain Laurel, how we’ve chosen to handle rough play such as playfighting has changed as we’ve struggled with the dividing line between liberty and license. Like anything else, we determined it as a whole community, debating and voting and negotiating.

As it currently stands, Mountain Laurel’s rule 20.21 reads “Roughhousing is permitted in the building as long as it's not disrupting another activity.” This includes the possible use of foam "swords." It's also understood that all playfighting must be consensual between all parties, and must stop if anyone doesn't want to take part. And real violence, of course, is strictly forbidden.

Why do we allow roughhousing at all? Because it has benefits for those who choose to participate. It helps them learn boundaries. It helps them negotiate frustration and pain. And it helps them learn that they can overcome obstacles. All well established. Plus, we know that pretend violence reduces aggression and the likelihood of real violence, most likely because it gives children a chance to consider the consequences of violence in a real way.
It makes them more resilient and more empathetic. So we allow it.

So that’s how things stand for now. But who knows? New students might well arrive and change it.



Sean Vivier, MLSS Staff
0 Comments

    Author

    Sean Vivier is a former staff member at Mountain Laurel Sudbury School, a former public school and Montessori school teacher, and an aspiring novelist. He is currently working as a web developer.

    Archives

    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
✕