Child Rearing

In this book, the author presents his view of parenting and child development, in a context harmonious with the principles of the Sudbury model.

 

"One thread that runs through every point in this book—letting things go their own way, letting children develop their own curiosity freely, letting people make all the mistakes they can on the way to developing their judgment— is that all these things involve an enormous amount of time, and require patience. You have got to have time to work things out. Perhaps the most devastating feature of our society is its preoccupation with speed. In fact, the single most effective tool society has for squelching creativity and independence is rushing everybody to death. How often have I seen people who have almost reached their goals suddenly stop and say, 'Time is flying by, I have got to move on,' and then all of their relaxed ability to work things out goes down the drain. Some people find their life calling at six, others at thirty-six, others much later. Things have just got to be allowed to work themselves out in their own good time."

 

Contents : 1. An Approach to Child Rearing 2. The Decision to Have a Child 3. Pregnancy 4. Delivery 5. Nursing 6. The New Baby 7. The First Year 8. The Years One to Four 9. Ages Four and Up 10. Illness, Accidents and Prevention 11. Physical Contact and Sexuality 12. Sleeping 13. Eating 14. Learning

 

THE SUDBURY VALLEY SCHOOL is a place, where children can "just be". There is no curriculum, no classes, no grades, no coercion, no uniforms, no bells and none of the rituals which define a regular school.

 

Here children are treated as responsible citizens and they carry the burden of their own education. Unless asked, the teachers "stay away" from the children. Here children discover their own innate interests and then gallantly pursue them. And because they chose them, they also rough it out and learn them well. So, children become the true architects of their own education. The Sudbury valley school experience has inspired others to start similar schools elsewhere. Today, 30 such schools on Sudbury concept are spread over eight different countries.