This past summer, some of The Open School staff from both the In-Person and Virtual programs, attended the 2024 Global Self-Directed Democratic School Conference organized by Alpine Valley School in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. It had been five years since the last in-person conference. The Alpine Valley School staff organized a very enriching and spirited conference with attendees from all over the world. True to the democratic and self-directed values that all the attendees hold dear, a brainstorming and planning session on the first day of the conference was used to plan a wide variety of topics for the daily workshops. The planning for the breakout sessions was efficiently navigated by using Virtual Planner, created and designed by our very own Aaron Browder (affectionately known as Bacon). Over the course of four days, the conference participants, made up of staff from about 18 self-directed democratic schools, sponsored and attended workshops on a variety of topics that ranged from “Should we impose screen-time limits?” to “Innovating the diploma program”.
In every session, each participant contributed their experience, knowledge, insights and ideas generously. It was clear that every attendee, whether they be founders or new staff members of SDDE schools, was dedicated to this model, philosophy, and its evolution. Here are some of the topics that we dove deep into, came back with useful takeaways and inspirations, and impacted the TOS In-Person and Virtual staff in meaningful ways:
- The Anxious Generation – a discussion on the recently published and bestseller book by Jonathan Haidt.
- Helping create agency / empowerment.
- Creating an engaging community.
- Making common cause with mainstream schools.
- Supporting, developing, and retaining staff members.
- Expanding and diversifying the self-directed movement.
- How to talk to outside people about our model.
- How do we get students involved and excited about school offices (Committees, School Meeting, etc.)
- Hudson Valley Sudbury School to Zena Democratic School: (Past, Present and Future of Self-Directed Education)
- Discerning educational toxins from nutrients. How the science of Self Determination Theory can shift the paradigm of schooling.
Each session was thought provoking, inspiring and nourishing. Discussions continued over lunch breaks, connections were made over topics that we are passionate about, and many laughs were shared. For The Open School staff, this bonding experience generated further brainstorming sessions throughout the four days, including at the airport while we waited for our flights back home.
The last evening of the conference, we had the opportunity to hear from founders from several SDDE schools at a public event entitled: Visionaries & Voices. We were privileged to hear about the inspiring personal journeys of these founders, their challenges, their dedication to the Self-Directed Democratic Education model, and their vision for the evolution of the schools they founded and for the future of the SDDE movement. One of the founders who shared their story was Cassi Clausen. Her dreams and visions for The Open School and for the movement of Self-Directed Democratic Education are BIG and inspiring. It was clear at the conference that she has inspired and continues to inspire her colleagues and the SDDE community. She is a leader in her own right and tirelessly works to embrace the evolutionary process of The Open School. Larry Welshon, founder of Alpine Valley School also shared his inspiring vision and journey which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/nCnrPog67fI?feature=shared. Look out for a recording of Cassi’s speech which will be coming out on the Alpine Valley School Podcast soon. You can find the podcast on Alpine Valley School’s website here: Podcast — Alpine Valley School, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
The richness of the conference’s contents has inspired a community building effort. Staff from all the schools that attended as well as other schools from all over the world are availing of the audio and video conferencing technologies to continue working on the opportunities for the expansion of the Self-Directed Democratic Education model. The common thread that links all the generous humans in this model of education is Love. It’s the Love of the sacredness of childhood that is nurtured in spaces where a child’s autonomy is treated with respect.
Alpine Valley School has offered to host a conference every other year. The sense of community that the 2024 conference brought was felt by all and we all look forward to the fruits that this one bears for all the SDDE schools and families and students who choose this path and can’t wait to attend again in the future!
