More Schools Like Ours

 People always ask me how a school like ours can possibly work. I try to explain that it is working, for many other schools across the country. Although I am the founder of Someday School, I didn't invent the philosophies or methods. I have read about them, researched them, observed in schools, and emailed with directors and staff members of schools. The concensus is that the children who go to Agile Learning Centers, Sudbury Schools, and "free schools" are happy children. They are taught from an early age that they can pursue the things that fascinate them, that they can try new things, they can ask questions, and they can have a say in the things that happen around them. They are never forced to sit down for a lesson, or graded on their performance in comparison to their peers. As they get older, they are successful in the "real world," because they've learned how to think for themselves, rather than to just give authority figures what is expected of them.

I want to list some schools across the country that are similar to Someday School. The first one is Albany Free School in Albany, NY. I first heard about Albany Free School many years ago, when I read the book Teaching the Restless, by Chris Mercogliano. You could say that Albany Free School is the original inspiration for Someday School!

Tallgrass Sudbury School in Riverside, IL. I lived in Chicago when I first read about Albany Free School. I actually emailed the director, and he referred me to Tallgrass Sudbury School. It had a different name back then, I believe. I was able to go visit the school, observe, and sit in on one of their democratic meetings.

Village Free School in Portland, OR. I have emailed with the staff members at this school, gone to their open-houses, and gone to a presentation by them at a conference about self-directed learning.

Free To Learn, Roseville, CA. This school is a little different because it is specifically for homeschoolers and unschoolers, and only meets a few days per week. I have included it here because it is an example of an Agile Learning Center, and I met and corresponded with the director while working on starting Someday School.

Rock Tree Sky, Ojai, CA. An older, successful Agile Learning Center that also hosts conference calls and trainings for directors of similar schools.

Heartwood ALC, Clarkston, GA. Although Someday School isn't strictly an Agile Learning Center, we use tools inspired by this model. Heartwood is an example of a school that follows the model more closely than we do.

Alpine Valley School, Wheat Ridge, CO. An older and very successful Sudbury model school with a lot of information on their website.

It would take me all day and all night, and even longer, to list every single school across the USA that uses a model similar to ours and has similar philosophies. The point is, schools like this do work. When you choose Someday School for your child, you are not doing something outrageous that no parent has done before. We may be new to Vancouver, but we are not new to the USA, or even to Washington. Want to learn how we can help your child? Email us at somedayschool@gmail.com!