How to process requests for courses/classes?

[Johannes Terwitte]

Hello friends,

we are a small sudbury model school in rural Germany, currently 24 students, mostly pre-teen, and 6 part time staff. We've been in operation for four years.

Now, for the first time, some students are requesting that they be taught some "classes" in foreign languages, maths, writing etc. As you might imagine, as staff members we are quite reluctant to embrace this request full on. To the best of our understanding, however, parental pressures aren't a major factor here. Rather, "classes" are requested to a) be exposed to and learn new things, b) be entertained, c) have someone structure time and space for them, d) have the comfort of being somewhat more in tune with how things are done outside of their bubble, or in what the kids perceive through media etc to be the real world, e) be more efficient in getting to agreements when and where to meet for instruction.

This mix of reasons is different for each student. Our school meeting also recognises that with limited resources the staff can't fulfil every request for classes.

My questions today:

1) What are your experiences with this type of request? How has your school meeting dealt with these?

2) What happens in your schools regarding the coordination of such courses, or any more formalized learning arrangements. (E.g. who decides when the pottery class is taking place?) On one end of the spectrum, I imagine it's individual students asking other students and then a staff member if they're willing to teach them for a while (and staff members individually deciding whether they can prioritise this request.) On the other end of the spectrum might be a process with sign-up sheets, and some joint planning as to which course takes place when.

Eager to learn from your experiences,

Johannes

Staff member and co-founder

Kleine Dorfschule Lassaner Winkel

[Melissa Graham]

When a student requests a teacher for a class, they bring it up in the meeting for discussion. We have contracts for students and volunteer subject teachers to sign once agreements have been made. The student must commit to the time, day and location of the class. Most of the time, the student finds online resources and spends time learning on their own. 

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[The Sudbury valley School]

Hi, Johannes,

I went to look at the extremely beautiful website for Kleine Dorfschule Lassaner Winkel.  I was very impressed with your pages, but I was very unable to read the German.  (Only 90% unable, not 100%.) I am sure there is a translation mechanism, which I will try harder to find, but some groups and schools, in all countries, include a translation option, and it is very convenient for people like me!

Your questions however are phrased in a very particular way that shows a lot of understanding of how students work.  "entertain me" is not necessarily a good academic position!  And, "make it easy for me" is not much better. So it is with trepidation that most of these requests are met; you are a young group but already have the trepidation in place!

The first thing I do, after about 2 minutes of deciding whether the students is serious, is make a time to meet  on another day -- maybe the next one but long enough for the student to forget about it if they are just looking for a momentary boredom release -- for a conversation about how to proceed and ask the students to see if others are also interested.  If that meeting does not occur, and they ask again, ask why it didn't take place, but don't torment them -- just do the same thing again. For me it is important 

Once any agreement about where and when is met, and a schedule is set up (which can be daily if they and you can; more usually less often -- I would imagine daily is the best for foreign language study, but even that has been on a twice a week basis here) do not allow the students to jerk your chains.  If they don't come on time on date, there has to be a really good excuse!  And not a meeting half an hour later.

If one student is working alone, you may decide on a less formal schedule.  But, being held to a schedule does test the seriousness of the student.  It also separates the serious from the people who seriously want to look serious.

At this point very few things are taught here through classes, although a lot of accidental information is passed almost every second, so we have maybe made it clear (50+ years later) that we expect a lot of initiative from kids, and a lot of work once they are involved in a regular activity with instruction.  Classes or no classes they blast through information rapidly.  I have always said I am the dumbest kid in the school.  By which I mean that my abilities to absorb knowledge from every side are much less developed and speedy.

We are not having problems with demands.  I don't think you will either once things shake down -- why would any kid want a class in this season?  But things are sometimes scheduling problems.  We are open a lot of hours, and sometimes kids arrive late or leave early and are still attending fine.  So a lot of stuff has to be in the sweet spot from 10:30 to maybe 2!  Meetings, etc., are usually then.  But classes have rarely had conflicts.

Mimsy Sadofsky, written for myself not for the school!

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Sudbury Valley School

2 Winch Street

Framingham, MA 01701

tel: 508-877-3030; fax: 508-788-0674

sudburyvalley.org

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 4:59 AM, Johannes Terwitte <joker...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello friends,

we are a small sudbury model school in rural Germany, currently 24 students, mostly pre-teen, and 6 part time staff. We've been in operation for four years.

Now, for the first time, some students are requesting that they be taught some "classes" in foreign languages, maths, writing etc. As you might imagine, as staff members we are quite reluctant to embrace this request full on. To the best of our understanding, however, parental pressures aren't a major factor here. Rather, "classes" are requested to a) be exposed to and learn new things, b) be entertained, c) have someone structure time and space for them, d) have the comfort of being somewhat more in tune with how things are done outside of their bubble, or in what the kids perceive through media etc to be the real world, e) be more efficient in getting to agreements when and where to meet for instruction.

This mix of reasons is different for each student. Our school meeting also recognizes that with limited resources the staff can't fulfil every request for classes.

My questions today:

1) What are your experiences with this type of request? How has your school meeting dealt with these?

2) What happens in your schools regarding the coordination of such courses, or any more formalized learning arrangements. (E.g. who decides when the pottery class is taking place?) On one end of the spectrum, I imagine it's individual students asking other students and then a staff member if they're willing to teach them for a while (and staff members individually deciding whether they can prioritise this request.) On the other end of the spectrum might be a process with sign-up sheets, and some joint planning as to which course takes place when.

Eager to learn from your experiences,

Johannes

Staff member and co-founder

Kleine Dorfschule Lassaner Winkel