Is the Sudbury Model in the DVS Tech Room?
by Connie Reiss
If you’ve ever been curious about how the Tech Room at Diablo Valley School fits into the Sudbury model of education, or, conversely, how any educational model could include a gamers‘ hideaway at school, I hope you’ll enjoy considering the subject with me here. I have a vested interest in the exploration of this topic because the Tech Room is as real a part of my son‘s world as anywhere else he‘ s likely to be found, so I’ve been pondering his DVS Tech Room education for a long time. These are some of my thoughts and conclusions, ponderings and projections, so I invite you to join me in that light.
I decided to write about the DVS Tech Room in the context of the Sudbury educational model (and/or vice-versa) partly because of my slow but steady internalization of how they fit so beautifully together, and partly because I promised myself I would make this offering from the perspective, I wish someone had told me five years ago what I finally figured out. Of course, I recognize the likelihood someone did just that, but being befuddled about it in the beginning, I couldn‘t have comprehended what makes perfect sense to me five years later regardless of the presentation. When the student is ready... In any case, I eventually came to an understanding I believe is worth sharing—if for no other reason than celebrating. I got it!
Today, I am a proud parent of a five-year Tech Room veteran who has seen a lot of change (inner and outer) in his time at DVS—time spent almost entirely in the Tech Room. I take great pleasure watching my son developing the wherewithal to take care of whatever Life presents as he goes along, and I‘m aware that Life is offering him greater challenges, more complex issues, and a deepening sense of certainty about his capacity for success—not so much that he can succeed, rather that he does succeed — is succeeding — knows how to succeed. Unless I‘m mistaken, my son harbors little doubt he can do whatever he decides to do, the only caveat added recently by our dear friend, Anne-Martine, in an unrelated conversation, that being we can do anything we choose—and here‘s the caveat—within the parameters of our unique, individual Nature. It‘s a good point worthy of an essay all its own, but for now suffice it to say the modification resolves the overwhelmingly daunting quality of the old saying, because let‘s face it—anything is too big an assortment from which to choose.
Now, we return to the DVS-style, Tech Room education—beginning with my understanding of the bottom line. The DVS rendition of the Sudbury model aims at students learning and practicing creative independence in a safe and supportive democratic environment, where each student is equally valued with everyone else and is equally responsible for the school. All types of activities are equally valued as well, because DVS‘ guiding principle of education for life places emphasis on how the student is doing, not what they‘re doing. The activities themselves aren‘t the focus of learning—rather the ways in which activities originate and how they are pursued are the vital elements of education at Diablo Valley School. Students develop the competencies required for becoming capable adults with Life skills that apply to Life in general, as opposed to becoming automatons with activity-specific skills applicable only to the activity of focus. Because students are learning Life skills through practical applications, the results of their efforts are transferable to living Life in general.
The Sudbury/DVS educational model is based on the certainty that people are naturally creative, curious, unique beings, who learn best with freedom to choose and experience their interests within diverse groups where democratic participation by all allows for individual independence to emerge and flourish alongside the interdependence necessary for supporting the group. Additionally, the experiential successes of practicing Life skills through tangible activities invite the emergence of other softer skills like concentration, listening, personal responsibility, and self– and other respect.
It seems odd to me now that I didn‘t connect the dots and real–ize (as in make real) the understanding of how success in one arena naturally calls out successes elsewhere in the developing individual. Since I began to see DVS under this conspicuously brighter light, I‘ve noticed how much my son‘s vocabulary has developed, how his patience in relationships has grown, and the places in his day-to-day life where he assumes responsibility when not so long ago he was more likely to ignore a chore in the magical hope it would go away. (I never should‘ve started telling him fifteen years ago I was waiting for elves and fairies to zip through and clean up my kitchen in the wink of an eye...)
No doubt about it, my son is showing distinct signs of growing up—happy and comfortable—in the Tech Room and everywhere else—and against the odds (or so it seems on the surface). It turns out the DVS Tech Room is a great place to grow within a self-orchestrated Sudbury model education, and as strange as it sounds, the student need not even be aware of it. The Tech Room is no different in terms of holding the space for this non-traditional educational model from any other area in the school. Here are some of my observations about how the DVS Tech Room environment has supported my son in his growth over the past several years. Initially, there was a period of letting go of the baggage that came with eight years of the public school experience. Diablo Valley School, and particularly the Tech Room, offered a feeling of safety and privacy compared to the all-out brouhaha of public school. When we were finally able to separate from the overwhelmingly stressful world we had been struggling with for so long, into a smaller community (DVS) encompassing an even smaller community within (Tech Room), my son was able to begin the process of shedding his armor, and consciously or unconsciously evaluate the possibilities of working, learning, and playing again without being constantly on his guard against who-knows-what-might-happen at any given moment. The new opportunity to practice Life skills in a safer, more intimate, less overwhelming setting, provided the structure and familiarity necessary for trading in survival Life skills demanded by an unhealthy environment for more positive Life skills associated with the Natural growth patterns of young boys.
Soon there was fun to be had and new friends to be made that brought back a need for relationship skills that had been packed away by about the fourth grade. Laughing easily and having fun without worrying about somebody turning on you was especially helpful in the un-conditioning/re-conditioning time I imagine most transitioning kids need, and it wasn’t long before my son understood he really had all the time he needed, as he determined, to get back into the swing of “normal” relationships. The Tech Room was like a womb from which it was safe and inevitable to emerge in response to Natural patterns of healthy development we hadn’t seen in years. The “norm” of running away— getting away—searching for safety in the library, detention room, or administrative offices quickly disappeared into reality of the past, and soon after, was altogether forgotten.
Inherent to the Tech Room (besides sharing the space and television sets, the video game scenarios themselves, and maintaining the accompanying technology) are many challenges to face, many problems to troubleshoot, and all manner of solutions to work out. The call for critical/analytical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and utilization/management of available resources have all contributed to my son’s skill set without either one of us ever thinking about them in those terms. Not only that, because much of his experience has been with figuring out or troubleshooting the technology he needs to play his video games or PC games on his laptop, he has become my technical resource when I have trouble with TVs, DVD players, cabling of all kinds for various purposes, and other things along those lines (although no one touches my computer equipment except me).
At DVS, my son has worked, played, and learned experientially from all his activities sharing the Tech Room with other “Techies” as they”ve come and gone throughout his five-year tenure. He”s been involved with working out scheduling processes such as sign-up sheets to coordinate fair use of the television sets, which “belong” (I think) to everyone at the school, not just the Tech Room, and even if I am mistaken on this point, how could he refuse the precious, sweet smiles of little girls anxious to watch their movie? No, some planning is definitely in order here, and whether they know it or not, my son is likely to do anything within reason for them. He has a big heart for little girls. Other Life skills confronted at DVS have to do with making and keeping friends, determining when letting go (for example, of your scheduled time on the sign-up sheet, determination to prove you’re right, or some certainty in an argument that doesn’t really matter) will best serve the situation, and when grabbing hold (for example, you know good-and-well if you don’t stand up for yourself now, you’ll be feeling the impact for weeks to come, or you’re confronted with a fight worth fighting) is your best bet. Anything could cause friction—borrowing, renting, and returning video games can open doors for learning Life skills—maybe some you never wanted to know about, but there it is—just like real Life.
The responsibilities and freedoms of “real Life” sometimes work out positively and sometimes they don’t. It’s inherent to the being part of Life that you find yourself working out problems and disagreements with and between others from time to time, or just working out problematic circumstances. Too hot? Who’s going to bring in a fan? Not enough space? Will it help to rearrange the furniture? Incompatible technology? Can you purchase an adaptor to make the connection? Personality conflicts? Work ’em out. Hauling games and equipment and all the accompanying pieces (systems, controllers, cables, games, guides, etc.) back and forth are activities that may come with Life skills not readily considered. Earning money to support the lifestyle can be a real issue for serious gamers. And we haven’t even begun to look at the learning associated with many of the video games’ scenarios themselves. Some of them are incredibly thoughtprovoking, with spiritual references and philosophies consistent with much that is currently (and finally) being revealed to the mainstream by studies in Quantum and Particle Physics. These kids today seem like a different breed of human being sometimes when you really look at their favorite storylines, whether presented in a video game scenario or music video.
I’m just glad we found DVS when we did, because we were in Life skills jeopardy we could no longer tolerate and, at the same time, we had no idea where to turn. Since that time, however, we have learned Life skills that boost our self-confidence and self- and other respect, shift perspective regarding diversity, flexibility, and variety, and leave my son and me with a sense of mastery where there was none before the DVS Tech Room.