This is Matthew, but I like to call him Matty, who can often be hanging upside down off of the swing set or tree limbs. Sometimes I look out the Meeting Room window only to find Matt balancing on the Gaga Ball fence – his balance is impeccable. While his physical strength impresses us all it’s the strength of his heart and mind that we are grateful for. He is our Admissions Director, Official Authorities Clerk and the PR writer. He is the face and voice of our school. And he does it all with an articulate grace. Maybe it’s because he uses a standing desk, forages mushrooms and cooks all his food from the finest ingredients – a few years ago he even built and slept in a natural debris hut. He’s not afraid to pull a prank, to join imaginary games, to practice modern dance, to talk history, or to bring a controversial motion to School Meeting. He reads books and is constantly challenging himself and us. When goings get tough, and sometimes they do, he’s the one I call first – why, because he keeps his composure, he looks at every side of the situation, and then he thoughtfully and calmly lifts me right back up; his manner is subtle and genuine. The love and pride Mattthew has for our community is clear and contagious – it makes us strong. He is the quintessence of our Self-Directed Democratic philosophy and for that we are thankful.
Opportunities
At Zena Democratic School, we pride ourselves on offering our students endless opportunities; they are free to pursue their interests, dabble in this and that, or to fall head over heels into a subject without interruption – for as long as the interest remains, or to follow it wherever it may lead.
But the most valuable opportunity we offer students is the time and space to discover who they are. Students at ZDS have time to be, to think, to talk, to play, to discover what they enjoy and appreciate and, equally importantly, what they don’t enjoy or appreciate. We offer an opportunity to practice crucial skills such as motivation, persistence, articulation, and humility, to be part of a democratic community, and to experience acceptance, cooperation, recognition, and celebration. This unstructured time is where the real beauty of the ZDS experience lies and where the most important learning usually takes place.
However, many people do love content and instruction, and there is plenty of organized and formal activity at school. Students often organize this on their own, or with the assistance or leadership of a Staff Member, but they may also request the Programming Clerk to facilitate whatever kind of instruction or activity they’d like to have, from basic reading instruction to skateboarding lessons to sex education; every topic under the sun is theoretically available for our students to explore and to receive instruction upon.