What is a Sudbury Education?
A Sudbury school is a student-run, student-centered learning environment. Students are responsible for running the school as well as their individual pursuits. They act as school officers, committee clerks, peer mentors, and peer teachers. They create and execute school rules, mediate conflict, and learn to coexist in a democratic society.
Staff members support students as mentors and advisors, providing resources and guidance. Sudbury schools are meant for any students or families interested in cultivating students into truly self-directed young adults.
What is a Mentor and What Do They Do?
At Fort Worth Sudbury School, mentors come from many backgrounds and possess a variety of skills, life experiences, personal gifts and strengths to share with our students.
Students engage with mentors as much or as little as the students want or need. Mentors are here to help our students realize their dreams, not tell them what, or how, to dream.
On a typical day, mentors can be found teaching classes, leading activities, supervising play, listening to and having discussions with students, guiding inquiry, mediating student-to-student issues, leading field trips, managing mischief, coordinating chaos, and otherwise serving in any way the students need.
How Do Students Learn at FWSS?
Students have the freedom to pursue their individual interests and passions within a collaborative community at FWSS.
Self-directed learning and personal responsibility are emphasized at our school. Students are empowered to take ownership of their own educations and set personal goals.
In addition to the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, our students employ a variety of important social-emotional skills as active members of our community. Every student contributes to building our safe and supportive learning environment, strengthening their abilities to manage conflict resolution, communicate effectively, and cooperate with others.
How do you handle broken rules and student conflict?
As a democratic school, all students, staff, and mentors collaborate to create and vote on the FWSS rules and community behavior policies.
Rule infractions and student conflict are brought to the attention of the Circle Committee. The CC is composed of students of different ages and at least one staff member or mentor trained in restorative practices. Any student can request a CC meeting for help dealing with issues such as interpersonal conflict, rule infractions, or issues with mentors and staff.
Circle Committee meets as needed to address broken rules and student conflict and has the power to mediate or impose logical consequences that are aligned with the rules enacted by the students, staff, and mentors.
Can my child earn a diploma? How does that work?
As a private school in the state of Texas, we have the freedom to set our own graduation requirements and standards. Students who graduate from our school compare with similarly aged students from other public, private, and homeschool situations.
After a student completes their graduation requirements, they may submit for a diploma in the fall of their graduating year. They must complete a minimum of 18 months at Fort Worth Sudbury School along with an internship that relates to their goals or interests. Students then present a thesis before a graduation defense panel consisting of adult staff and mentors. If their defense is accepted, they will graduate the following May.
In lieu of a traditional transcript, FWSS provides a letter that explains our school and activities the student has participated in.