Alpine Valley School Podcast

In episode 59 of the Alpine Valley School podcast, we share an insightful interview with Addison Ault, a former special education teacher who has transitioned to a staff role at Alpine Valley School, a self-directed democratic school located in Denver. Addison shares her profound insights on supporting students with neurodiversity, drawing from her rich background in mainstream education. Through her interview, listeners will explore the importance of empathy, individualized support, and creating inclusive environments that celebrate every student's unique journey. Addison's experiences and perspectives offer valuable lessons on embracing and understanding neurodiversity in alternative educational settings, promising an enlightening listen for educators, parents, and advocates alike. 

Join us at the Global Self-Directed Democratic School Conference, hosted by Alpine Valley School from July 10th to 14th, 2024, for an inspiring gathering of educators, students, and advocates of self-directed democratic schooling. This unique event offers a platform for networking, participant-driven sessions, and insights into our unique model. For more information and to register, visit our website at https://www.alpinevalleyschool.com/conference. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative educational movement!

Show notes for this episode available at https://www.alpinevalleyschool.com/podcast/ep59

Want More? 

• Episode Addison mentions in the interview: EP 34: If Our Daughter Died Tomorrow, Would We Be Happy With How She Lived? 

• Podcast Episode: What Special Needs Tell Us About Schools featuring Dr. Naomi Fisher

• Book: A Different Way to Learn - Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education by Dr. Naomi Fisher 

• Article: Becoming Yourself - Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education 

In this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast, host Marc Gallivan talks with conscious parenting coach Angela Young about how to set clear boundaries with your children while still supporting their independence. This episode is a great listen if you’re looking for support and advice on how to approach boundary-setting with your self-directed children. You’ll also learn: How to explore your own self-directed path as an adult, the importance of setting clear expectations for your children (hint: you don’t have to be a doormat!), and how to identify your own limiting beliefs that may be getting in the way of your child’s education. Don’t miss this episode! 

To learn more about Alpine Valley School (and come visit!) check out our webpage. We are hosting an Open House this summer and invite you to join us! Find out more on our webpage: Summer Open House. 

Staff Members at self-directed democratic schools like Alpine Valley School are often asked what sorts of unique challenges students experience at places like this. While our students are free from the tests and grades that are imposed on others in mainstream education, they do encounter a totally different set of struggles.  Not only that, but parents often have to deal with their own difficulties as well. In this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast staff members Larry, Katy, and Connie talk about what makes life at our school challenging and how they’ve seen students and parents find strength in their struggles. 

Visit the show notes page here: Episode 57 Show Notes

To learn more about Alpine Valley School (and come visit!) check out our webpage. We are hosting an Open House this summer and invite you to join us! Find out more on our webpage: Summer Open House. 

Want more?

• Read a blog post about finding strength in struggle on the AVS Blog. 

• Watch a video interview with one of our graduates talking about how he struggled with boredom. 

• Listen to a podcast episode about the invitations that boredom offers us. 

• Read a blog post from Sudbury Valley School about boredom and entertainment. 

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

Most people involved in self-directed education know that staff are the adult members of the school community, but what is the actual role staff members play in the day-to-day running of the school? What sorts of tasks do staff members do? And beyond that, why are staff members important to schools like Alpine Valley in the first place? Hear personal accounts from staff members at self-directed democratic schools all over the world on this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast!

To learn more about Alpine Valley School (and come visit!) check out our webpage.

Want more?

• Read a blog post from Cara DeBusk at the Houston Sudbury School about her “typical day”

• Watch a video compilation of staff members discussing their role in the school

• Watch a video of a “typical day” at Alpine Valley School

• Listen to another podcast about the process of starting a Sudbury School

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

What are school wounds? How do they develop, and who do they affect? This is a topic we explore on episode 55 of the Alpine Valley School podcast, along with Akilah S. Richards, a podcaster, author, and self-directed parent. 

Want more? 

• Learn more about the Fare of the Free Child podcast (and subscribe!) 
• Watch Akilah S Richard’s TED Talk
• Listen to an episode of our podcast all about competition and school wounding. 
• Read a blog post from parents who share their experiences after leaving the public school system. 
• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

In mainstream education, parents and teachers are continually breaking down children into two separate groups: good students and bad students. In this episode, we hear from Tay Arrow and Marc Gallivan, two Sudbury School graduates who self-identified as bad and good students, respectively. Tay and Marc share their own personal journeys through the school system and how they both ultimately arrived at self-directed education, and what they found when they did.

View the show notes page for more details about this episode.

To learn more about Alpine Valley School (and come visit!) check out our webpage.

Want more?

• Listen to a podcast episode all about self-directed education and learning disabilities: What Schools Tell Us About Special Needs

• Hear from another Alpine Valley School graduate who struggled in mainstream education: Play is the Work of Children

• Listen to a recording from the original Sudbury Valley School about learning disabilities in schools: The Learning Disability Epidemic

   

You can get in touch with the show at: podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com

It’s been a while, but Alpine Valley School is still here! In this episode Marc provides an update about what life at our school is going to look like moving forward, as well as the future of this podcast. He’ll also share some of the most popular episodes so you can catch up with all of our previous episodes, and maybe find your new favorite!

• To learn about Alpine Valley School’s plans for reopening, please check out this webpage.

• To listen to favorite episodes, check out the links here:

  • Episode 02: The Importance of Video Games

  • Episode 25: School Meeting

  • Parent Panels:

    • Moms (Ep 22)

    • Dads (Ep 33)

You can get in touch with the show at: podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com

Introducing a new podcast from Alpine Valley School - Lockdown Learning

As COVID-19 swept the globe from east to west this year, so has home education. Millions of children woke up one morning to find their schools closed and their new teachers are their parents. Learning at home can be a wonderfully liberating and connecting experience for families that choose it but it can also be daunting and exhausting even at the best of times. And let’s face it – this is not the best of times. No one planned for this. And whereas Home Education is usually done more out of the home than in it as families meeting up with others to socialize, play and learn together all that’s off the table right now.

East Kent Sudbury School grew from a group of home educators and as passionate advocates for alternative education we’ve teamed up with our friends at Alpine Valley School in Denver, Colorado to bring you a special podcast season to help you not just survive learning in lockdown but get the most out of this out of school experience.

Listen to the first episode now and, to get future episodes delivered right to you, subscribe now at the podcast page or on whatever program you use to listen to podcasts. 

Contact the show at: lockdownlearningpodcast@gmail.com 

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 50: Favorite Stories From Around the USA

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 49: Unschooling

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 48: Elections

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 47: Chores

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 46: Founding Stories - Arts & Ideas Sudbury School

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.

Episode 45: Founding Stories - The Open School

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 44: Founding Stories - East Kent Sudbury School

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 43: Hard Lessons

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 podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 42: I Can Do What I Want

Students at self-directed democratic schools like Alpine Valley School and others, have significant freedom. In many ways they can “do what they want” all day long. However, that freedom must be balanced with responsibility - a concept that founder and staff member Larry Welshon discusses in this engaging talk. This speech was originally given at a sister school, Glacier Lake in Montana, as part of their recent fundraising efforts, and it covers a lot of ground. Find out by what age most kids have dropped out of school, how Larry first discovered the alternative schooling movement, and more on this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast.

Want more? 

• Support our friends at Glacier Lake School in Montana.

• Watch the original video this talk came from.

• Read a related blog post: Freedom Does Not Mean Doing Whatever You Want

• Watch a video interview with Sudbury Valley School co-founder Mimsy Sadofsky (who is mentioned in Larry’s talk)

• Listen to a former student talk about how freedom shaped her life as a young person.

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Episode 41: Starting a School

“How do I start a self-directed democratic school in my area?” On this episode, staff and founder Larry Welshon lends his twenty-plus years of experience to tackling this question and provides concrete guidance for individuals who are looking to begin the founding journey.

Want more? 

• Visit Alpine Valley School and begin your founding journey with our help and support.

• Read a blog post about the founding of a Self-Directed Democratic School from Sudbury Valley School

• Look over the Planning Kit from Sudbury Valley School (used by many founding groups)

• Check out this blog post from Alternatives To School: Options for Families Without Democratic Schools

• Watch a video from Circle School staff member & founder Jim Rietmulder

• Help the diverse Alpine Valley School community continue to thrive by making a pledge to our annual fundraising campaign!

• Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

This episode is also available in video format on YouTube. 

Read a transcript of the episode and find out more on the Show Notes page.