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How
does The Clearwater School work?
At
The Clearwater School, students of all ages interact,
enjoying opportunities to observe, lead and follow as
their abilities and desires dictate. By engaging in
trusting relationships, students learn to trust themselves
and the choices they make to create their lives.
Through
friendships and mentoring relationships, students gain
self-awareness, confidence and mutual respect.
 Learning
happens all the time, in diverse ways. Students may
work independently or in small groups--frequently spending
hours of intensely focused time pursuing their interests.
There are no preset curriculums to interfere with student
choices, no bells to interrupt long projects, no standardized
tests to measure preset benchmarks. At The Clearwater
School, students direct their own education.
 To
emphasize that students learn in diverse ways, with
the help of many people, The Clearwater School hires
"staff" rather than "teachers."
Staff are highly skilled individuals who support each
student's enthusiasm, curiosity and learning style.
They take on many roles—teacher, mentor, and friend.
Rather than direct, staff members follow each student’s
lead in order to assist students pursue their educational
course.
The opportunity for students to enjoy academic freedom
is possible because of the democratic structure of the
school. At The Clearwater School students initiate a
diverse range of activities, within the context of a
larger community made up of other students and staff.
This community is self-governed through a democratic
process providing students with first-hand experience
in citizenship. The central structures that are used
to govern the community are the School Meeting and the
Judicial Committee.
The School
Meeting—consisting of all students
and staff—is responsible for making all decisions
affecting the quality of life and day to day operations
of the school. Each student and staff member has one
vote in decisions ranging from making school rules
to planning parties, to allocating funds.
In the Judicial
Committee, students and staff work together
to address violations of rules and solve problems.
Through participation in school governance, students
gain daily practice at debate and ethical reasoning
in order to solve real-life problems.
The Clearwater School is part of a national network
of Sudbury schools that take inspiration from the Sudbury
Valley School, a highly successful and pioneering
democratic school, established in Massachusetts 30 years
ago. Students who attend Sudbury schools develop into
capable, confident and creative adults.
Students at The Clearwater School enjoy the opportunity
to discover—for themselves—their place in
the world.
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