Advertise on podcast: Alpine Valley School Podcast

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 [email protected] 

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 [email protected] 

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 [email protected] 

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: [email protected]

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: [email protected]

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: [email protected] 

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 [email protected]  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 [email protected]  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 [email protected]  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 [email protected]  This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.