This is Muffin, a strawberry-haired mud-chef who opens bananas the monkey way and loves strawberry yogurt with the limitless ardor of a heroine of Greek mythology (our theater coop is putting on Eurydice plus I am reading Madeline Miller’s books rn so hence the sort of random Greek references throughout, pls excuse). When Muffin began this year, she was the “littlest” among us, and she came three days a week; the other two she attended the Catskill Wheelhouse, where she was the “biggest.” Sure enough, she has been one of the best friends of the babies and toddlers who visit, but she still has that instant-coffee readiness-to-play, the moment you take one silly step, that we are most familiar with in toddlers. Biggest or littlest, she is def the giggliest and the wiggliest anywhere, the platonic ideal of yoThis is Muffin, a strawberry-haired mud-chef who opens bananas the monkey way and loves strawberry yogurt with the limitless ardor of a heroine of Greek mythology (our theater coop is putting on Eurydice plus I am reading Madeline Miller’s books rn so hence the sort of random Greek references throughout, pls excuse). When Muffin began this year, she was the “littlest” among us, and she came three days a week; the other two she attended the Catskill Wheelhouse, where she was the “biggest.” Sure enough, she has been one of the best friends of the babies and toddlers who visit, but she still has that instant-coffee readiness-to-play, the moment you take one silly step, that we are most familiar with in toddlers. Biggest or littlest, she is def the giggliest and the wiggliest anywhere, the platonic ideal of youthiness at play.
Some of our other littlest School Meeting Members’ parents work at the school, but Muffin does not have that luxury, and she has mustered the bravery of Atalanta to say goodbye every morning. To that end, she created a ritual with her parents where she waits in the office while they go outside and everybody waves goodbye through the window. 😢👋🏼
Muffin loves thinking and learning about outer space and pursuing her quarry in Pokemon Go with the determination of Artemis. She is a Director of our Playroom Coop and loves playing Spot-it w/ Trine and Garbage w/ Nana & pals, or kickball or basketball outside w/ Red Ninja et. all. She is a prolific baker of mud and other “straight from nature” products in our outdoor kitchen, and she regularly plays Queen while her friends enthusiastically attend her as “servants.” Muffin also has a regularly scheduled hour-long playdate w/ special friend Trine every week.
Muffin is generous, always sharing her snacks with hungry companions. She is considerate, offering to “watch” my four year old son, even tho she’s just a year + older. She is curious, watching carefully. We are so lucky to have her among us, oh how could we be so lucky? What gods have smiled upon us so brightly? Muffin, thank you for bringing so much to Hudson Valley Sudbury School; we hope we will bring as much to you!uthiness at play.
Some of our other littlest School Meeting Members’ parents work at the school, but Muffin does not have that luxury, and she has mustered the bravery of Atalanta to say goodbye every morning. To that end, she created a ritual with her parents where she waits in the office while they go outside and everybody waves goodbye through the window. 😢👋🏼
Muffin loves thinking and learning about outer space and pursuing her quarry in Pokemon Go with the determination of Artemis. She is a Director of our Playroom Coop and loves playing Spot-it w/ Trine and Garbage w/ Nana & pals, or kickball or basketball outside w/ Red Ninja et. all. She is a prolific baker of mud and other “straight from nature” products in our outdoor kitchen, and she regularly plays Queen while her friends enthusiastically attend her as “servants.” Muffin also has a regularly scheduled hour-long playdate w/ special friend Trine every week.
Muffin is generous, always sharing her snacks with hungry companions. She is considerate, offering to “watch” my four year old son, even tho she’s just a year + older. She is curious, watching carefully. We are so lucky to have her among us, oh how could we be so lucky? What gods have smiled upon us so brightly? Muffin, thank you for bringing so much to Hudson Valley Sudbury School; we hope we will bring as much to you!
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.