FAQs Archive - Page 3 of 4 - Sunset Sudbury School

What if my child spends all day on the computer?

It is quite possible that your child will spend all day on the computer. With all of the negative media attention surrounding screen time, it is not surprising that many parents are concerned about this. Some parents see the computer, including video games, as a mind-numbing activity that “rots your brain”. At Sunset Sudbury, we […]

What if my child doesn’t want to do anything all day?

“If you force kids to study things that they are not interested in, they may come to appear to be lazy.” ~ Jerry Mintz, founder of Alternative Education Resource Organization Depending on how many years your child has been in a traditional school setting, they may go through a period of de-schooling when they first arrive […]

How do children learn the basics (reading, writing, and math)?

When a child is ready and willing, the basics like reading, writing, and math are quite easily learned. Traditional schooling forces children to learn these at the same age and at the same rate, often before a child is ready or interested. Thus, the process seems to be difficult and time-consuming. The fact is that […]

How do children know what they like if they are not exposed to it (with classes, etc.)?

“When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself.” ~ Jean Piaget We live in the information age, where knowledge is available at your fingertips. For this reason, when kids are free exposure is not an issue. Furthermore, because students are free to explore and interact with […]

How do children learn if no one tells them what to do or learn?

“Children are born passionately eager to make as much sense as they can of things around them. If we attempt to control, manipulate, or divert this process…the independent scientist in the child disappears.” ~ John Holt We believe that all children are born with a strong desire to learn what they need in order to […]

How do children set goals for themselves?

“Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.” ~ Alfie Kohn Even though adults may not notice it, children set goals for themselves all day long. When they are young, the goals are usually small: they may want to make a birthday card for a friend, they may want […]

My child follows an online curriculum. Does that work with your program’s philosophy?

“Just as eating against one’s will is injurious to health, so studying without a liking for it spoils the memory, and it retains nothing it takes in.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci Some people immediately see the social value of our program and think they can fill the perceived academic void by having their child follow […]

What does a typical day look like?

There really is no typical day at Sunset Sudbury! People of all ages mix freely, doing whatever they want within the boundaries of safety and respect. Students and staff can be found everywhere talking, laughing, playing, and working. There may be a group of students huddled around a computer discussing video game strategies while another […]

Is your program like a Montessori school?

Sudbury and Montessori are similar in that children are given more freedom to make decisions about what interests them and how to pace themselves. Both models also hold the basic assumption that people are naturally curious and don’t need to be forced to learn. The Sudbury model, however, gives students even more freedom and makes […]

Is your program like unschooling?

Our program is similar to unschooling in many ways. Both value self-directed learning without the use of coercion or extrinsic motivators and both trust that children will learn what they need to when they need it. However, students who attend our program get some time away from their parents. This enables them to take on […]