My own experiences of Sudbury stem from being a current staff member for six years and parent to a 9- and 4-year-old that participate in a Sudbury program on a permaculture farm in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The following article is based on my experiences as a public school teacher and my time with Sudbury.

For over ten years, before being introduced to the Sudbury model, I spent my time substitute teaching, teaching elementary art, and working as a TESOL instructor in S. Korea. During my last year of teaching in 2019, I was so overwhelmingly tired of the daily grind that I would skip the lessons that I was supposed to be teaching and instead take the kids outside for free play. We would bring our sketchbooks in case someone asked what we were doing.

The kids appreciated the decisions that I made, but we still struggled to connect and build relationships with each other. The question that was being discussed among teachers and administration was, “What is wrong with the kids these days”? We were made to wonder: Why was it so difficult to reach them, control them, and get them to be happy while simultaneously doing the work that was expected of them?

In the Spring of 2019, I met two children while family camping who introduced me to the Sudbury program where they had attended for several years. I was so excited and shocked to hear about a place where children were regarded as equals alongside adults, where committees managed the rules and regulated the supplies, and where everyone was genuinely happy. I was excited to learn that this Sudbury program was in need of a staff member and that I could enroll my four year old in the preschool group. Fast forward six years later, and I am still amazed at the everyday practices that have been outlined by the Sudbury structure.

As you can guess, I secured the job after an extensive interview process with staff and after receiving a majority of the democratic vote at Community Meeting (School Meeting). My son was enrolled with the younger children, and we began our journey of deschooling, reading scholarly articles, and spending as much time learning about Sudbury from those around us as we could. In 2020 we welcomed a baby girl who has subsequently been raised by the Sudbury community of families, youth participants, and staff. While people come and go from our group, the environment is always that of care and support, just like all of the other Sudbury programs I have learned about.

One significant memory of teaching comes from my third full-time position as an elementary art teacher in Cleveland, Ohio. At this point in my career I had taught in Virginia in one of the largest systems in the US, and overseas in S. Korea. After 3 years of being with this system of charter schools, I switched locations. I worked so hard to engage and connect with all 400 children that came through the art room weekly. I was told to control the room, don’t give any time for off-task behaviors, and to show the children that I was in charge. I was fearful to say the least of the fights and the push back. I was constantly in tears and afraid. I blamed the children. They were mean and ruthless. They didn’t care about the lessons or me. And why should they?

It took me only a few months to deschool from this attitude about children once I left. I knew from the moment that I sat down at the first Community Meeting that children just want to be heard, to feel important, and to be in charge of themselves. Autonomy is a value recognized throughout the Sudbury model. Children in Sudbury schools are significantly happier with themselves and their surroundings because they are in control of themselves. Unlike the public system of education that I experienced, children in Sudbury plan their day, take care of their basic needs, and study what interests them. Looking back at my experiences in the classroom, I want nothing more than to see all children have this freedom throughout their lives.

In 2017, the charter school was trying out a new behavioral system that was meant to keep order in the classrooms. Training for the system included having the assistant principal sit in the back of the classroom with a microphone while speaking into a headset worn by the teacher. Teachers were fed what to say, where to move, and how to use intimidating gestures to keep children in line. Everyone was treated like a robot with expectations of similar outcomes. Unsurprisingly, the practices worked to control the masses. It was like everyone was being brainwashed. Some children rebelled, but the consequences were so diminishing that they soon began to follow along. But, there was simply no life left in learning.

Until Sudbury, I wasn’t sure how learning could be fun. Turns out, if we remove the expectations of what learning should be, the fun returns. I saw this happening at the start of my career as a staff member with Sudbury. On the farm where we are located, children run around all day finding things that interest them and that keep them excited about learning.

One example of how Sudbury provides an interest-driven, individualistic structure for learning at the farm is caring for animals. Youth and staff work together on a committee called Animal Husbandry where they study what can and cannot be fed to the animals, how to handle wounds, how to keep them safe from predators, and the best environments for the animals to live in. The participants are there willingly, they are excited to care for animals and learn about their needs, and they are prepared to handle concerns that arise. No one is tested on their understanding of information, rather their daily practices allow for the adaptation and adjustment of new knowledge as it comes.

One of my least favorite memories of working in public education was on a day when things were particularly hard. We had parent conferences that night, which meant I'd be working a 12 hour shift away from my family and with very little rest. For some reason while walking down the hall I decided to take out my frustration on a 9-year-old girl who whispered something to a friend in the hallway while looking at me. I raised my voice and said “If you have something to say, you should say it to my face.” That evening, I heard a voice yelling down the hall looking for me. It happened to be the girl’s grandmother who soon found me and told me how awful of a person I was and how challenging of a life this young girl has had. I felt worse than I could ever imagine feeling about myself and in life at that moment.

The difference between Sudbury and what happened to me and that girl on that day is that non-violent communication practices give people opportunities to slow down and have meaningful exchanges. I no longer feel awful about myself, and my self-esteem has been raised tremendously as an adult that still gets to spend time with children daily. When I reflect on my behavior and how I treated that young girl, I am embarrassed and ashamed. I don’t need to feel ashamed anymore when I talk to children about my feelings. I don’t need to try to belittle them or “put them in their place.” Sudbury believes that children have the right to feel safe and equal, and utilizes a system of judiciary practice that gives people opportunities to express themselves and find meaningful ways to move forward. In the moment when my need to have a quiet hallway wasn’t met, I didn’t know how to ask for help. Sudbury has shown me that I can find help from all people, no matter their age. This model often becomes an ageless community. It breaks down barriers that would otherwise prevent people from exceeding; removing biases, stereotypes, prejudices, and hate speech.

As the classroom that I worked in became more strict, the less freedom and free play took place with the children. From my observation, this meant less creativity and use of imagination due to the oversight of adults guiding the activities and assessing the outcomes. At the farm, children have ample space for free play and the freedom to explore a range of activities by themselves and with friends. Children at the farm take more calculated risks in their play, they resolve conflicts that arise together, and they explore themes that adults simply don’t include in their ideas. Staff members play a key role in the development of each individual, but our role is much different than that of a classroom teacher. We model the values of Sudbury, including self-direction, responsibility, and respect.

With Sudbury programs located all over the world, people are able to give their children opportunities unlike any experiences had in public schools. While these programs do cost money, most are able to offer financial assistance, although a challenge remains to make the programs more equitable. Sudbury programs can be replicated internationally, and the dream is to have one available in every state and country with multiple locations for people seeking to give their children the freedom to self-direct their educational paths.