by Cassi Clausen, Open School founder
August 9, 2019
The Open School began as a dream of a handful of people committed to bringing democratic free education to Orange County. We wanted a place for local kids to become self-directed and independent. It started with just under a dozen kids in the house of one of our founders. The following year, we moved to […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
July 31, 2019
Some people, when they hear about democratic schools — where each student has the same power as any adult — are reminded, in horror or breezy dismissal, of Lord of the Flies. In William Golding’s 1954 novel, a group of British schoolboys are stranded on a deserted island and attempt to survive while they wait […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
March 16, 2019
Lately, the number of little kids (in the 3 to 5 age range) at The Open School has increased greatly. The “munchkin brigade” is always scurrying around the school, making lots of joyful noise, and calling each other “nice” and “mean” as it suits their mischievous purposes. These words — “nice” and “mean” — have […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
March 6, 2019
When you first start coming to a Sudbury school — a school where there are no teachers, classes, or curriculum — as an adult, either as a staff or a volunteer, there are naturally a lot of cultural hurdles you have to overcome. Like: how do I respect the activities the kids choose? How do […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
October 1, 2018
A new school in Orange, California is experimenting with giving kids food, such as meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables, instead of sawdust. “It was kind of overwhelming at first, walking in there and seeing all those different foods,” says Leila Bowman, a public school teacher who visited the school for the first time last week. […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
September 17, 2018
Schools were originally built, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, to be places of learning. Children couldn’t get proper educations at home, so they went to school for a few hours a day to be taught information and skills by qualified teachers. Over the decades, schools became more compulsory and took up more and […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
September 6, 2018
About two years ago, I decided I didn’t want to wear shoes anymore. I had read about health benefits of walking barefoot, and it seemed like a fun experiment, if not necessarily a permanent lifestyle change. In Southern California, where it’s virtually always warm, there aren’t many practical challenges to having a no-shoes lifestyle. I […]
by Andrew Lee, Open School board member
August 29, 2018
Some of the most important social movements in our nation’s democracy have been led by youth. From Black Lives Matter, to “Dreamers” fighting for immigrant rights, to American Indian teens at Standing Rock, to the March for Our Lives held in response to mass shootings and gun violence earlier this year, youth activists are too […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
August 7, 2018
Sometimes people suggest that because The Open School charges tuition to families, it is “elitist” — that is, the school, and perhaps the entire Sudbury movement, is only viable for rich people. They say that public schools are the only way to ensure that rich and poor alike are given access to quality education. Sudbury […]
by Aaron Browder, Open School staff
July 24, 2018
Before I became a staff member at The Open School, I used to spend my Thursday afternoons volunteering as an after-school tutor for 1st through 8th graders. The place was technically a writing center, situated in suburban Seattle, and open, free of charge, to any kid in the city. Its mission was to help kids […]