Alpine Valley School Podcast

Students at self-directed democratic schools like Alpine Valley School and others, have significant freedom. In many ways they can “do what they want” all day long. H…

“How do I start a self-directed democratic school in my area?” On this episode, staff and founder Larry Welshon lends his twenty-plus years of experience to tackling thi…

Funny, insightful, and unexpected, this episode of the Alpine Valley School podcast features our graduate’s favorite stories. Hear about surprising adventures to the mall…

Just like the grown ups who love them, children are hungry for meaningful work. They want to take on jobs that have real meaning and make a significant contribution. Learn how self-directed democrati…

In this final episode of our Core Learning podcast series, our guest Bruce Smith talks about how students at self-directed democratic schools learn math. Bruce has decades o…

What sorts of careers do the students of self-directed democratic education have? How do they stand out in a competitive job market without grades or transcripts? These are the questions we tackle on…

We’re continuing our “core skills” series (which we started with Learning to Read) by discussing how students at a self-directed democratic school learn the essential skill of writing. We’re joined o…

Many find it hard to believe, but children at self-directed democratic schools do learn how to read, largely without any adult intervention. On this episode of the Alpine…

At a recent event at our sister school (Hudson Valley Sudbury School in New York), Wendi Piper told her story about how self-directed democratic education has changed her family’s life. She started b…

What is it like to parent a child while they are enrolled at an alternative school as free as Alpine Valley School? What struggles do dads experience as their child grows up in this environment, taki…

When students at self-directed democratic schools like Alpine Valley School find themselves free from classrooms and curricula, they are sometimes left to grapple with a new adversary: boredom. Howev…

The people who know Kelsey Kiernan, dancer and AVS graduate, know that she is a force of nature. Kelsey will stop at nothing to reach her goals and live her dreams. On this episode of the Alpine Vall…

The current education system in the United States is failing some of our kids, mainly the ones who cannot fit into the preconceived mold. Many creative individuals are bein…

How does self-directed democratic education prepare students to move on to the real world after graduation? It’s a question we are asked a lot, and we are proud to sh…

Alpine Valley School students have the ability to choose many things - how they spend their time, when and what they eat during the day, who they hang out with, and where they congregate. All of whic…

What should we do with children? How do we best guide them on their life’s course and provide them with the skills they will need along the journey? We believe in a radical concept: Let the children …

One of the main questions we are asked during tours is whether or not Alpine Valley School students go on to college, and if so, how do they do it? After all, we’re a school without grades and theref…

How do important decisions get made in a self-directed democratic school? Do students really get to vote on the budget, the hiring and firing of staff, and other essential elements of school life? Fi…

Judicial Committee, the justice system at school, is a cornerstone of life at Alpine Valley School. How do we know that Judicial Committee is working, even when an individual’s behavior doesn’t chang…

What is it like to parent a child while they are enrolled at an alternative school as free as Alpine Valley School? What struggles do moms experience as their child grows up in this environment, taki…