Diablo Valley School

Come join our Easter event at Concord Community Park - Sunday March 31st!

The event is 12:00PM - 4:00PM with free egg hunts at 1:00PM - 2:00PM and 3:00PM - 4:00PM (bring a basket!) plus free bubble experiences the whole time

Face painting is pay what you can with a suggested donation of $5-10

Join the fun and learn about our school along the way!

Saturday November 4th 7-9pm DVS will be putting on a Haunted House Fundraiser!!

The spooks are free, but the tasty treats will be part of our bake sale (donations always appreciated)!! Come for the thrills, stay for the community, and have fun along the way ~ All ages welcome!

There will be two routes, so participants can choose how intense and engaging they would prefer their experience to be. Each themed room has a fun challenge, so come see how far you can make it!

Come see what it's all about during our next open house on Saturday, October 14, 2023 @ 11:00 am.

Inverse Relationship Between GPA and Innovative Orientation The more students focus on test scores, the less creative they become.

https://www.diablovalleyschool.org/jobs/

“Views from a Visitor” by Larissa Kiyashko, Spring 2019 DVS Newsletter

Excerpt: “I am learning the forgotten art of trusting our children to grow, learn, and develop…I was struck by what Peter Hartkamp said in his book Beyond Coercive Education: “Over 100 years of coercive education has conditioned five generations of citizens to believe that ‘coercive education’ is normal.” When we look beyond that conditioning, we start to see the value in everything children do and play, with an admirable level of concentration and with no coercion present whatsoever. Control loosens, and long-term trust is born.”

Click link below for full article.

www.diablovalleyschool.org

Here comes our stream of posts leading to our open house in one week.

"Be Yourself" "Be yourself," writes Oscar Wilde, "everyone else is already taken." Lao Tzu, the seminal Chinese philosopher, is quoted as ...

Le daría alas a los niños, pero les dejaría aprender a volar por sí mismos. – Gabriel García Márquez

Pumpkin gathering quest

“𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿” 𝗯𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗭𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟱 𝗗𝗩𝗦 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿
“Our family began our Sudbury education three years ago with no small amount of trepidation. From what I understood at the time, Sudbury children did not concern themselves with learning, they simply followed their interests. What I did not know then, but fully understand now, is that by "simply" following their interests, they unceasingly pursue proficiency…Three years of Sudbury schools have shown me that the learning process is like a drip of water against a rock. At a glance, it appears fragile and delicate, but uninterrupted over time it is an unstoppable force of nature. The challenge of the Sudbury parent, then, is to leave the water alone and allow nature to take its course.” Click link below for full article.

www.diablovalleyschool.org

One step deeper into the rabbit hole of our self construction mechanisms: Play. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/202205/what-is-play-how-children-define-it?fbclid=IwAR3FUqyP5CELy8VvERuDPXESAee9i6pMCkD41rFRvB7nbUv3YR2F6pqU2IM

What Is Play? How Children Define It If an adult is present, it’s probably not play.

There is a better, healthier way to learn!

Learn how by reading:

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom
available here: https://amzn.to/2St959V

and

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting by Dr. Laura Markham,
available here: https://amzn.to/3xZeqVc

(affiliate)

-THT

We have an open house coming up in two weeks on Saturday, October 15 at 11:00 am. For those who have been waiting, this will be our first in person open house for the past two years. In preparation, articles will be posted here throughout these two weeks. Articles from other Sudbury schools, scholars, psychologists and educators all who are on the same path as we are in fostering an environment where students can find their own best way to grow and learn into successful adults; there might be some memes too. Feel free to question or comment below, write us an email or save them to ask in person or bring them to the group conversation that Saturday. Today we shall start with Teacher Tom: https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2022/09/children-do-not-like-being-incompetent.html?fbclid=IwAR3eCsMsw7csjGuaLuN_sEGJhyj-IR4dhJzCRG4yFpCD9Y04C37MMsP6lZ8

"Children Do Not Like Being Incompetent Any More Than They Like Being Ignorant" "Children do not like being incompetent any more than they like being ignorant. They want to learn how to do, and do well, t...

“Reflections on the Real World” by Rose Hardesty, Winter 2019 DVS Newsletter

“It took me a long time to be on board with the Sudbury philosophy. I loved going to school at DVS--inevitable conflicts and boredom spells aside--but for a long time I was not sure I was learning enough or being prepared for the “real world.” Over the years, many well-intentioned friends and relatives jumped in to support these doubts. Despite enrolling at age eight, I don’t think I really began to believe this type of education could sufficiently prepare me for adult life until around age 15. At that point, the benefits I saw within myself were undeniable…DVS had freed me to be a passionate life-long learner. ”

www.diablovalleyschool.org

Here's some introspective words from Teacher Tom. https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/its-important-that-children-practice.html
Where does this kind of environment exist? Come see for yourself. Join our digital open house this Saturday, April 23 at 11:00 am.
https://www.diablovalleyschool.org/contact/

It's Important That Children Practice Making Real Decisions I was feeling cruddy in the aftermath of my most recent vaccination booster, so I was curled up on the sofa watching basebal...

Enchantment of the self

Spoiler warning. If you have not watched Encanto, stop here.

Towards the end of the story when the generational confrontation happens, Abuela Alma understands that in her fear of losing the collective gift, her conservative grip has been crushing the cohesion of the family. That fear led to imposing the expectation of who and how they needed to be without taking the individuals into account. This led to the construction of a superficial beauty that had a cracked foundation of individual unhappinesses, not only of the “outliers” like Bruno and Mirabel but of the “successful” ones such as Luisa and Isabella.

Let's take this to the real world and make it an analogy for parental expectations and the never yielding drive towards stronger and earlier academic teachings. It is not just autistic, ADD, HD or any other number of children whose neuro-uniqueness puts them in the “outlier” or special needs category that are being harmed by being put in the outlier category to begin with, it is also the “well adapted” and “behaved” ones that although they managed to meet the parameters of expectation, will internalize and carry the doubt and stress, and merge into society as the dark cracks continue to threaten our collective magic dancing house.

As for the lesson, the moral of the story if you will: Sure it is nice to learn that no matter what your gift or lack of, your determination makes things happen, but the whole “if only you believe hard enough, you can fly” and you can jump off the roof with an umbrella, I have a problem with. The lesson here is not for the Mirabels and Luisas of the world out there thinking that if they just put up a smile and mask themselves into a closet for a world to accept them, everything will be ok. It is for the parents to understand that the system has spiraled out of control and you need not be Abuela Alma in this story to begin with. Change in your subconscious structures can be made before the magic hits the fan. Understanding and accepting the diverse gifts, or absence of, as equally deserving to earn you a place at the dinner table and dance floor is key for individuals to find happiness within their own concept of the self, the place where the magic builds the strongest gifts. And when you love yourself, the gift you share is oh so much more powerful. So by all means, talk about Bruno!

Join us for our digital open house on Saturday April 23 at 11:00 am.

Come look for answers at our digital open house this Saturday, February 5th at 11:00 am. diablovalleyschool.org.

It wasn’t just because I got to see Danny interact with students or read his words that I know. I got to experience first hand his warm welcoming wing as I was first exploring this new surreal world of Sudbury, full of questions and wonder. “You just have to really want it”, he softly yet enthusiastically shared about throwing my hat in the ring. As I read all the beautiful well deserved writings across schools and people influenced by him, I want to bring forth that he was like the vocalist in what I’ve often referred to as one of my all time favorite bands. He was part of a team that crafted a fantastic infrastructure that has that welcoming philosophy embedded into the launching pad as children come of age into a confusing and ever changing world. Danny, I gotta say you had one heck of a run and left so much beauty behind. Thank you!

“The starting point for all our thinking is the simple, revolutionary idea that a child is a person, worthy of full respect as a human being. These are simple words with devastatingly complex consequences, the most important of which is that the child’s agenda for his or her own life and learning takes priority over any one else’s agenda – parents, family, friends, or the community.” Daniel Greenberg (1934-2021).

The Man Who Trusted Children: Daniel Greenberg An educational giant has died. Long live the lessons he taught us.

It’s interesting to run into articles not related to our school that capture the essence of what this school is about. #5 ties it all up nicely. https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/5-meta-skills/ =1635827381

5 meta-skills to supercharge every aspect of your life Being a specialist used to be the way forward, but the future belongs to people who can adapt to any given scenario on a dime.

Although the following article from Slate is probably written from a prevalent education system frame of mind, it captures the essence of the complexity and art of learning and mastering a skill. DVS provides the time and space for students to craft a foundation for skills and knowledge that is flexible and adaptable to an ever changing world. Come to our digital open house this Saturday, October 16 at 11:00 am, for a conversation about how we function.

I’m a Developer. I Won’t Teach My Kids to Code, and Neither Should You. Real coding is the difficult task of creating something unique.

Come see what we mean when we say “Your time, your life, your choice”. Diablo Valley School will be hosting a digital open house on Saturday, October 16 at 11:00 am. Zoom link will be posted on our web page on the morning of the open house. Diablovalleyschool.org.

Humans are wired to learn. This can be observed throughout our lifetime, from birth to death. Our school differs from the prevalent school philosophy in that learning academic disciplines should be no different than learning to walk or talk. It should be approached with the joy and conviction of a skill not learned for a grade but out of choice in one’s self-construction. A human being’s internal drive will constantly lead us to optimize ourselves to the best of our capacity to be an efficient part of the world around us. The pursuit itself of happiness is the ongoing prize for this constant self upgrade. Come to Diablo Valley School’s digital open house on Saturday, October 16 at 11:00 am and hear more about how we work. The zoom link will be posted on our web page on that Saturday morning. diablovalleyschool.org.

The symbiosis of sumcom

The Summer Committee has an interesting twist. At the end of the school year, the School Meeting designates a group of volunteer students, and staff to oversee the school’s business during the summer time when school is off. Normally it takes care of very light stuff and makes decisions via email. This year the SumCom got thrown into heavy waters with the covid scenario. We have been zoom-meeting once a week and maintaining discord contact throughout as we navigate these waters in conjunction with the Board. The twist is that the students in the Sumcom are not enrolled. Their contract ended with the school year. In a way it can be seen as a free summer camp of democratic education. It goes deeper than that. If those students were not part of the Summer Committee, the decision making process would fall to the staff and board, thus losing a touch of the essence that makes us a Sudbury school. They are not here for the credit or a place for parents to put them during summer. They are here because they took an interest in the community and want to be a part of the weave. I look back at all the summers past with a lungful of contentedness and appreciation of a cultural norm that I’ve always taken for granted.

The weave of the T-pose

As the Summer Committee continues to explore and construct our social media presence, pictures come into the conversation. The Legal aspect is important, but so is an individual’s approval of pictures, even if the liability was signed. Each picture has a story, not just the visual components in the background, but a social history of the interactions among community members. When this picture came up the conversation turned to memories of first contact between these two and a historical thread that led to that moment. Stories that I never would have heard if not for the business PR discussion; stories that make the weave of who we are as a school. The free flow of interaction and conversation lead to the construction of a community, they are a part of our uncharted curriculum.

The path to reopening

Life is a cluster of experiences that we structure as we construct our world view. As we have all been tossed into this boat, this yellow submarine, we are all figuring out how to organize the new cluster of experiences for ourselves and in the context of those around us. In a way it is the same way we have been dealing with existence before Covid came along, it just involves a different set of parameters. That is what this school is about, flowing with the nuances so individuals can craft a set of personal tools that will make the path ahead productive and fun for them and those around them. The Summer Committee is working on constructing a framework for balancing this new cluster. Follow us in our slowly emerging social media presence to get a small insight into this out of the box school.

Our Friend Bumcat

By Sam Wright

When I was a first year staff member at Diablo Valley School I was tasked with watering the outdoor plants each morning. The first morning I watered the plants a cat shot out of the bush I was watering. Startled, I turned the hose off and watched it run across the parking lot. The next morning I looked as carefully as I could before I started watering, but to no avail. I turned on the hose and again the cat shot out from under the bush. This time, I called out to her-and she stopped. Turning around, she meowed at me, then walked towards me, talking all the while. I coaxed her closer, eventually petting her wet fur.

Despite the damp start, we became good friends. As we slowly got to know each other I found out that she is blind. She knows her territory (the school grounds) so well that it was only after she ran into my bicycle when she was in a hurry that I began to suspect. She navigates the changing landscape of toys and skate boards skillfully, using her whiskers to change course at the slightest touch.

She doesn’t like being held or confined, but she happily receives pets and rubs from anyone willing to take the time to approach her. It has been fun watching students, especially young students, learn how to respect her boundaries-if she is pet too roughly, or if she is too crowded, she simply walks into the bushes where she can’t be reached. Students who used to have trouble interacting with her have now gained her trust and teach the newest crop of young'uns how to pet her.

A few years ago we got her a little blue and white cat house. One of our students, Camilla Gomes, who is now a graduate, was inspired to draw a portrait of Bumcat by the cat door. Bumcat still likes her bushes, but she can also be found lounging on the second story patio or curled up with her heating pad inside the cat house in the colder months.

Although she does not get as many pets during the summer as she does during the school year, she still hangs out with the staff to supervise the care of the garden and the yard, which she normally does not visit while the students are active.

Last week Bumcat was with me as I watered her bushes-sitting next to them, she didn’t flinch as I sprayed the hose around her. It has been seven years since Bumcat became a friend of the school-here’s to many more!

(Pictures and portrait by Camilla Gomes)

Some of us like to play outdoor games, a few of our favorites are Freeze tag, Hide and seek, Dodgeball, Capture the flag, and Infection tag.

(2/2)