Including Older People

The general theme of this month's walk-and-talks is a look at the edges of a Sudbury-model population. Last week we looked at how younger people (specifically 3-year-olds) might be included in the Sudbury model. At this Monday's walk-and-talk, we'll look at the question of including older people in the Sudbury model. Sudbury-model schools typically have students as old as 18 or 19.

Do our school's founding beliefs apply just as well to 20-year-olds? Let's look at each belief in turn:

Children have a drive to understand and master the world around them, to grow up:  I see this as just as true of young adults who have been raised with this drive supported.

Each person has the best sense of how they learn best:  Again, seems as true for young adults.

Most learning is an unintended consequence of following one's interests:  Young adults may be more likely than kids to specialize in a particular area of study, with intentional learning. What impact would this have on how a school would be designed for them based on Sudbury values?

Behaviour is greatly influenced by environment:  This seems just as true of young adults. They may be more particular and variated than kids in what sort of environment they wish to be in. What impact would this have on how a school would be designed for them based on Sudbury values?

Decision-making should involve the people primarily affected by the decisions:  I see this as just as true of young adults. They may be more likely to put their learning decisions in the hands of experts (for example, by doing an apprenticeship).

The Sudbury model works:  The Sudbury model has a history of success for kids. Would it work for young adults?

Other questions that come up:
Would young adults prefer their school to be larger than today's Sudbury-model schools?
Would community norms be more challenging to decide on, and more limiting, with a broader range of ages?
Would young adults' more advanced interests require more expensive and longer-term facilities?
How might kids benefit from having young adults around?
How might young adults benefit from having kids around?

Does anything else come to mind?

I personally won't be at this week's walk-and-talk (or next week's), due to another commitment. If you'd like to discuss this topic with me, please leave a comment on this post.