Vanessa VanBurek, Free Range Education?

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.

Parent Involvement

Parents’ experience of the school is a crucial factor in determining their childrens’ experience of the school. Children of parents who work hard to understand our philosophy, communicate with staff, attend events, and connect with the community usually get the most out of our program.

Parents typically grow alongside their children as the family matures together within our bold, challenging, and trusting philosophy. Many parents find themselves doing things they hadn’t before enrolling their children in our school, like starting a business, taking up a new hobby, or dedicating themselves to art. Parents who remain open, think critically, and grapple honestly with questions and concerns about the program and their children’s education provide the best support for children at our school.

We depend on parents to participate on our Fundraising and Financial Aid Committees, as well as in our Assembly, our largest democratic body, which ratifies changes to our bylaws. Many parents volunteer their expertise, and there are always at least a couple who are regularly coming in to offer instruction. Parents are also needed to chaperone field trips, and most of our substitute staff are parents too.

Sending your children to a self-directed democratic school is a bold choice, and people will question it. Many parents find it helpful to attend our events and make connections with the community, and especially with other parents.

Resolution Process

At Zena Democratic School, rule infractions and interpersonal conflicts are resolved using sophisticated restorative justice tools.

School Meeting protects boundaries and ensures order by maintaining a robust and explicit set of boundaries and through the processes carried out by its Resolution Committee (“RC”).

Any School Meeting Member (student or staff) may fetch a member of the RC (“Resy”) at any time during the school day when they experience conflict or otherwise have a complaint about a potential boundary violation. Resies, who are elected by School Meeting and subsequently trained by the RC Clerk and school counselor, respond immediately by listening, investigating, facilitating conversation, and otherwise assisting towards a resolution all parties are satisfied with. Issues may be resolved by conversation itself, and/or they may be resolved by further actions. Resies do not have any coercive power to define what resolution looks like in any particular case, but if they are not satisfied that genuine resolution has occurred, they may send the issue to SM for consideration, and SM does retain coercive power to impose what it considers to be a reasonable outcome. For that matter, if the aggrieved party or the party which has crossed a boundary does not believe the initial meeting with a Resie produced a genuine resolution, they may also send the issue to the meeting.

Age-Mixing

Age-mixing is one of the most potent developmental experiences at Zena Democratic School.

Segregating individuals by age doesn’t make sense from an evolutionary perspective; we are “designed,” so to speak, to be in a mixed-age community. At ZDS students of all ages gain knowledge and skills from those who are more advanced than they are, regardless of age. We see 16-year-olds ask 8-year-olds for skateboarding tips, 5-year-olds reading to 7-year-olds, 14-year-olds drawing with 9-year-olds. It becomes a familial relationship of role modeling and caretaking. Older students are required to think about the effect they have on others and teenagers retain an ability to stay young longer, inspired to play by their younger counterparts.

On occasion, regardless of safeguards that are in place, younger students are exposed to conversations or topics they might have been sheltered from in traditional schools. This often results in conversations between parents and students, which parents have noted have been some of the most important moments they have been able to connect with their children.

Advisors & Cohorts

Each student aged 14+ is automatically enrolled in our High School Advisor Program;

Advisors are here to assist students navigate and leverage their High School experience, as well as think about and plan for whatever comes after High School. Out of respect for students’ autonomy, it is possible to opt-out of this program.

Cohorts are mixed-age groups of students and staff; participation is mandatory. For the 2023-2024 school year, the scope of cohorts’ purpose is quite limited: each cohort will plan and carry out a school event. In future years the scope of purpose may expand.

Screen Usage

Screens are allowed at school, with restrictions.

The personal device policy is as follows: Phones, consoles, handheld video games, laptops, computers may only be used for: taking photos or videos, listening to audio, communication, quickly looking something up, academic study, and official school business. Individuals may apply to use their personal devices for a specific pursuit that doesn’t fall under the above list. For example, those who want to use their devices to research, pursue active creation, for medical reasons, or for a specific pursuit can apply for approval.

The school owns a broad array of technology which is also available for student use. Some devices are specifically intended for what we call “active creation” and/or “academic study,” and some are available to gaming, streaming, or any other “recreational” use; there is a two hour limit per person for each type of usage, watching others included.

School Meeting also has long-standing regulations regarding what content may be viewed at school.
The on-going cultural debate about screen time, especially the aspects of that debate related to safety, is often discussed at school, both informally and in our School Meeting.

Cooperatives

At Zena Democratic School, a Cooperative (coop) is a group of like-minded students and staff who organize around a common interest, like music, art, or sports.

Once organized, coops can get access to school resources like space and funding. Most coops spend time enjoying activities together, such as going on relevant field trips, organizing community activities and workshops, and receiving skill-improving instruction.

Clerkships

At Zena Democratic School, the jobs of administration and maintenance are divided into roles called Clerkships;

for example, there is an Enrollment Clerk, a Technology Clerk, and a Resolution Committee Clerk. Some of these roles may only be filled by Staff Members, but many are available to students who wish to take them on. All Clerks are elected annually by School Meeting.

Tidy Time

Every student and staff at Zena Democratic School is assigned a cleaning job by the Physical Plant Clerk.

We all do them in unison at 2:45 daily; it’s called Tidy Time! This is a chance for the school community to come together to take responsibility for our campus.

Diploma Process

Students may receive a diploma if they elect to undergo our internal diploma process.

The process functions as a kind of rite of passage as well as a display case for diploma candidates to demonstrate their abilities and passions. It includes organizing and participating in a multi-day Adventure, carrying out a significant Act of Service, writing a “thesis” which justifies their preparedness to graduate, and preparing a transcript as both an artifact of their experience at school and a signal of their competence to potential schools, programs, and employers.

Campus

Zena Democratic School is located on a parcel of 67 wooded acres in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in the Hudson Valley region of New York State.

Our Main Building is 5,000 square feet and contains 16 rooms of various size and shape. A second building affectionately referred to as “the box” adds 1,000 additional square feet of space and offers a distinct space for groups to pursue formal activities without interruption. The furniture, layout, equipment, and other resources of the school vary from year to year at the behest – and by the effort – of the current student body.

Students are always free to go outdoors at Zena Democratic School. Our outdoor area features a blacktop area, a small playing field, grassy hills, picnic tables and lawn furniture, and two wooded natural playscapes that are over an acre in size.

Ultimately, our campus is limitless; students are free to explore activities, internships, apprenticeships, classes, or other opportunities throughout the Hudson Valley during the school day.

Zena Democratic School is a direct democracy; each student and member of the staff has an equal vote in managing all aspects of the school’s operation.

The structure and administration of the school is a reservoir of learning opportunity, and students learn first-hand the principles, processes, and politics of democratic governance. They balance individual and communal needs, and experience autonomy and responsibility within a tightly-knit and equitable community. . Thus, students are responsible for directing their own lives and for caring for the community – self-directed democratic education! The School Meeting meets weekly for discussion and motions to add/change/remove policies, school agreements/boundaries and to approve privileges. They are responsible for the creation of the budget, the election of administrative clerkships, and for overseeing the Staff election. School Meeting is run by an elected student and order is maintained through the Democratic Rules of Order.