Update >>> Sudbury Experience, Back as TA, and Students with Disabilities Cert

Hi All! 
Well, It's been awhile.. A lot has happened and changed.  I decided that I do not want to sub again next school year.  Not that I didn't enjoy it, I loved the experience and definitely think it was needed and worth it.  I just did not like not having something steady and anticipating the calls in the morning.  (Not to mention, I had to do overnights 3 days a week to keep my health benefits with my other job.  I was also growing tired of that.)  


Mid April, I decided to look into a new experience, The Sudbury School.  I found out about this school by picking up a post card in a restaurant in New Paltz.  It was an invitation to an open house.  I decided to check out the web site (which I linked above) and became interested in applying and finding out more.  Surprisingly, I do not recall learning about this model in my college experience.  For those of you who do not know, Sudbury is a democratic model in which student create their own curriculum.  There is also age mixing.  At this school, students really learn how to define themselves.  I decided to do an internship to learn more.  I've never seen students as happy as I did at the Sudbury  School.  Everyone there was so creative and so imaginative.  Students of different ages formed relationships and looked to each other for help and advice when they needed it.  Staff there was more of an equal.  Students decided how to spend their time, whether it be all day playing outside or all day painting.  Here, it is believed that learning will occur naturally, which I witnessed.  Students also learned consequences and responsibility through the JC (Judicial Committee) which met every day at 11.  Students had the ability to "write up" someone or something that went against the school code book.  The issue would then be discussed and voted upon by the members of the JC.  A sentence would then be discussed.  The sentence would always be related to the broken rule.  An accused student had the choice of pleading guilty or not guilty.  If not guilty was plead, the case would move to School Meeting.  School meetings happened every Thursday where different school activities were voted upon.  Staff were parts of different committees to help run the school.  (For example the playground committee or public relations committee.. ) There was no principal.  I enjoyed really getting to know the students and seeing them spend time doing what they had interest in and what made them happy.  Half the time in public school, students have learning forced upon them and might not even retain the information because they are not interested in it or it is boring.  Other adults that came to Sudbury to do special interest groups expressed that they had never seen students so creative.  Overall, this was a wonderful experience and if you have a student who is having difficulty in a regular school, I would definitely recommend looking into a Sudbury School.  Sometimes all it takes is a different atmosphere.  


I finished my internship at Sudbury in the beginning of June.  After that, I decided to go back to being a TA, where I know  I would have full time, guaranteed hours.  I stayed with in the agency where I worked before and did overnights so it was easy to transfer back.  I am not in the same classroom as I was a year ago, I am now working in a Tier 2 room.  It is pretty different, but nice to see how a new teacher does things.  I am also enrolled in 2 courses that I need to extend my certification to Student with Disabilities.  I really hope on getting a teaching job in the near future.  I am hoping that this extension will help.  In the mean time, I am still applying and keeping my hopes up!  I just feel good that I am in the field and getting the experience I need and doing what I need to do first.