Tallgrass Holiday Fundraising Campaign

Tallgrass, the only Sudbury school in Illinois, inspires passion and changes lives. We’re proud to be part of a school where students are excited to come to school in the morning and look forward to returning to school after breaks. Our students love their school, and they need your help to keep it strong for years to come.

Despite the difficult conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, our students continue to thrive. So far this school year students have caught fish from the Des Plaines River, organized and run a haunted house in the Activity Room, completely refurbished the school's computers, and accomplished cooking goals, from grilled cheese to Friendsgiving dinner. 

To continue to support our students in their self-directed pursuits, we have set a goal to raise $3,000 by December 31.

Tallgrass is funded 100% by tuition and donations from generous individuals. A quarter of our students come from families making under $25,000 per year. Every gift, no matter the size, gets us closer to our goal and strengthens our mission of supporting students in their self-directed education. Tallgrass is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and donations are fully tax deductible.

Will you make a gift to help preserve Tallgrass’s future? Make a note on the Paypal donation form to donate in the name of a student or someone else you love. Or contact the school to donate via check or another method that is convenient for you.

Thank you for your continued support of our school and self-directed education! Make your donation today.

Sincerely,

The Tallgrass Community

November Open House

When: Tuesday, November 9, 2021

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Where: Tallgrass Sudbury School

85 Kimbark Rd.

Riverside, IL 60546

What: Join us for a presentation about the benefits of a Tallgrass education, get a tour, and talk with the school's staff, students, and current parents.

This event will take place IN PERSON and in accordance with CDC guidelines. RSVP required for planning and social distancing purposes.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tallgrass-sudbury-school-november-open-house-tickets-200969704797

Who They Are Is Beautiful

At Tallgrass, one of our fundamental values is that we respect students (and adults) as individuals. We don’t think kids need to prove that they’re worthy of respect, trust, or decent treatment.  

Things we don’t think we have any business trying to change: 

• their gender identity

• their racial, cultural, ethnic, or religious identity

• when they use the bathroom or eat

• how they express their personal style

• their interest in YouTube videos, makeup, jewelry making, Chernobyl, Dungeons and Dragons, sports, math, or music

Like all communities, we grapple with how to balance the rights of individuals and the rights of the group. Those things may require your child, or the people around them, to change their behavior, and occasionally to question their values and beliefs. But it shouldn’t require anyone to change who they are. That part is already, and always, beautiful.

Tallgrass offers an authentic K-12 learning experience focused on freedom, community, and students’ passions. Visit our website to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?" 

“My Kid Isn’t Self-Motivated": What Self-Motivation Really Looks Like

When someone says that their kid isn’t self-motivated, it usually means one of two things:

1. Their kid isn’t interested in learning what they are “supposed to” learn in school.

2. Their kid is burned out/stressed out/cynical about school to the point that it’s affected their intrinsic motivation.

Today, let’s talk about interest. At Tallgrass, we think everyone should have the right to follow their interests when it comes to what, when, and how to learn. It’s extremely normal to not be interested in learning US History at exactly 10:15 a.m. every weekday during the year you turn 11. Not being interested in something in exactly the way and at exactly the time that other people expect them to be interested in it doesn’t mean your child is not self-motivated. 

Your child might not be self-motivated in history, but very self-motivated when it comes to drawing a portrait of a friend or building a computer. They might not be very interested in history right now, but were interested last year or will be again in 5 years. They might be interested in it late at night, when they’re in a more reflective, less active mood. They might even be interested in it right now, but would rather learn it through conversation, watching videos, or going to see historical places. Or the way that history is taught in schools might not speak to them, and they’ll get interested when they find a book that talks about the history of food culture in the South or a YouTube creator who focuses on the experiences of Black people in the US. 

When students are forced to learn something, they don’t learn it well, they don’t retain the information, and they are actually less likely to be interested in it in the future. So instead of trying to control what, how, and when they learn, we support students in exploring their interests and answer their questions about how to get things done and function in the world. Are you engaged in something you find meaningful, and do you sometimes run into something you find challenging or frustrating? Great. That’s what self-motivation looks like to us. 

What about burnout, and the kid who doesn’t seem to be interested in anything? Stay tuned…

Tallgrass offers an authentic K-12 learning experience focused on freedom, community, and students’ passions. Visit our website to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?"

Where Are They Now? Sudbury Graduates

“So...how do they turn out?” In other words: “Will I still be doing my child's laundry in 2035?” It can be hard to make the mental leap from a child happily playing with stuffed animals, or a teenager yelling at a video game, to a well-adjusted adult.

We get anxious. We start playing mental games to reassure ourselves, turning a passing interest in tapirs into a question like, “Wouldn’t you like to become a zookeeper someday?” and stilted conversations about how many years of math you need to get into a zookeeping program.

We don't have to do that. Kids need our support, but they don't need us to direct their futures. Graduates from Sudbury schools, and other forms of self-directed learning like unschooling, figure out their futures for themselves just fine. They get jobs, go to college, and date and have hobbies and have full lives, just like people who go to more conventional schools. School is not a requirement for a decent life.

Our oldest graduates are about 30 this year. Here's a brief snapshot into a few of their lives.

Cassidy, class of 2011: Cassidy is finishing her MS in Human-Computer Interaction and will start a job as a UX Designer this May. In her free time, she’s currently potty training her rescue puppy Lazlo.

Nicole, class of 2013: Nicole is currently working as a legal secretary at a global law firm in the Loop. In her free time she enjoys playing volleyball/working out, seeing her friends, and reading or listening to podcasts.

Kimberly, class of 2015: Kimberly will be graduating summa cum laude next month from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A. in Communications. She is set to receive a number of distinctions, such as the Wayland Maxfield Parrish Award (highest GPA within her major).

Matt, class of 2017: Matt is pursuing a degree in business with a focus on marketing. Matt is also training for a 100-mile bike ride at the end of May.

Here's an internal study of alumni from one of our older sister schools, the Circle School in Pennsylvania.

Sound like the kind of future you want for your child? Contact us today to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?"

Is Summer Break The Best Time Of Year?

For many students, summer is a much-needed break from all the stress that comes with conventional school. Ironically, summer often creates conditions that are actually better for learning. 

• Control: Kids and teenagers often have more choice about how to spend their time, instead of having their days planned out for them based on the requirements of a curriculum.

• Socializing: Young people are allowed to talk during the summer. They can pay attention to their friendships, and to valuable life skills like conflict resolution and empathy.

• Unstructured Time: During the summer, young people are more likely to have time away from structured, adult-led activities: They have time to dive into their interests. To play. To work through boredom. To explore what it means to be themselves.

Shouldn’t your child get to live like that all the time? Shouldn’t they get to be themselves every single day? 

At Tallgrass, that's what they get. Our students have the time and the space to learn what they want out of life. They experience the benefits of summer break all year long. 

Your child deserves to be themselves all year long. Contact us today to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?"

School Refusal Doesn't Mean There's Something Wrong with Your Child

Stomachaches. Nightmares. Anxiety. Depression. This is what many kids experience when they think about going back to school, or even on a typical weekday morning.

Not at Tallgrass. At Tallgrass, we build school around our students’ needs. The result?

• “Why do we have to have summer break? Can we go to school year-round?”

• “I was so sad when school was closed.”

• “No, I don’t want to have a snow day!” (P.S. At our school, you can go sledding in the middle of the day.)

Our students don’t hate their school. They love it--and not (just) because the adults here are so awesome. Tallgrass is their school. Here, they have a voice. If they don’t like what’s happening at school, they can try to change it--either informally, through talking to their friends or starting a new activity, or formally, by making a motion to change the rules, joining a committee, or running for a leadership position. The adults contribute by not trying to control them and by supporting their choices. We treat them as full human beings with a right to live life as they see fit.

Most children love to learn and want to be around other children. They like getting out of the house and doing new and interesting things. If your child regularly avoids going to school, is faking sick, or has significant school anxiety, it might be time to consider something different--education that’s based in the real world. 

Tallgrass offers an authentic K-12 learning experience focused on freedom, community, and students’ passions. Contact us to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?”

Does Your Child’s School Reflect Your Values?

Traditional education prioritizes test scores, grades, and knowledge in a few specific areas. That’s not what parents tell us they actually value in their child’s education. Instead, we hear: 

• “I want her to figure out what she wants in life.”

• “I want him to learn how to be a good friend.”

• “I want her to be confident and be able to stand up for what she believes in.”

• “I want my kids to be able to figure out how to learn things when they need to learn them."

And most of all:

• “I just want them to be happy.”

Does your current school support the type of learning your family actually values? Does your child have time to spend on the things that they think are important? Or are you stuck playing the game and fighting over homework assignments that at the end of the day even you don't understand? 

Tallgrass offers an authentic K-12 learning experience focused on freedom, community, and students’ passions. Contact us to learn more, or download our free e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?”

Is Your Child Happy At School?: Counting Down The Years

Does Your Child Hate School?

Statements like “I hate school,” “School is prison,” or “My favorite class is lunch” are so common we sometimes stop hearing them. But why should it be that way? Most kids love to learn. Most kids want to be around other kids. So why do they hate school?

We think most schools have learning all wrong, which is why we do it completely differently. We hear from many families that school feels like something they just have to suffer through--8 years left, 7 years left, 6 years left. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. School can look like the rest of life: good days and bad days, joys and struggles, but ultimately interesting. At Tallgrass, students control their own time. They have a full voice in how their school works. And they spend their time on real problems: making friends, getting bored, resolving conflict, and figuring out what they want out of life. 

Make this the last year of counting down the days. Real Life. Real Learning. Contact us to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?”

Play-Based Education, All Day, Every Day

At Tallgrass, kids play as much as they want. All day, every day. 

“Okay...so how do they learn?” By playing. Learning IS play. This isn’t a fringe opinion--as the American Academy of Pediatrics says, “The benefits of play cannot really be overstated in terms of mitigating stress, improving academic skills and helping to build the safe, stable and nurturing relationships that buffer against toxic stress and build social-emotional resilience."

What does play look like here?

• Sorting all your stuffed animals into species groups

• Making a Minecraft world

• Filling the freezer with snowballs, and then snow bricks, and then Kool-aid popsicles

• Making custom computers for all your friends (and some of their parents)

• Starting a committee

• Talking for hours about questions like, “Could we build an elevator to space?”

Play is:

• Self-chosen and self-directed

• Motivated by means rather than ends (that is, not self-consciously “educational”)

• Alert, active, but unstressed: “flow”

• Unsupervised--not directed by adults.

• Mixed-age

If this sounds like what you want for your child, contact us to schedule a tour today. Or to learn more, download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?”

What The Heck? We Need Some Tech

The Tallgrass Computer Corp is holding a fundraiser to to buy new computer parts for the school! See their GoFundMe campaign and donate HERE.

August Open House

When: Sunday, August 1, 2021

1:00-2:30 p.m.

Where: Tallgrass Sudbury School

85 Kimbark Rd.

Riverside, IL 60546

What: Join us for a presentation about the benefits of a Tallgrass education, get a tour, and talk with the school's staff, students, and current parents.

This event will take place IN PERSON and in accordance with CDC guidelines. RSVP required for planning and social distancing purposes.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tallgrass-sudbury-school-august-open-house-tickets-163522804109

May 27 Open House: Last Open House of the Spring!

When: Thursday, May 27, 2021

6:00-7:00 p.m.

Where: Tallgrass Sudbury School

85 Kimbark Rd.

Riverside, IL 60546

What: Join us for a presentation about the benefits of a Tallgrass education, get a tour, and talk with the school's staff, students, and current parents.

This event will take place IN PERSON and in accordance with CDC guidelines. RSVP required for planning and social distancing purposes.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tallgrass-sudbury-school-may-open-house-tickets-154624868143

Scholarship Announcement

The current moment has many of us reevaluating our lives, including how we approach education. Tallgrass Sudbury School is pleased to announce that we are offering three full-tuition scholarships, each for 4 years of tuition-free enrollment at Tallgrass, starting in fall 2021. 

We know that the past year has increased financial pressures on many families, and we are more committed than ever to making our school accessible to people across the economic spectrum. We hope that these scholarships will bring our school within reach to students who might not otherwise be able to consider Tallgrass.

Tallgrass Sudbury School offers an authentic K-12 learning experience focused on freedom, responsibility, and students’ passions. At Tallgrass, students direct their own learning while contributing to a strong, democratically run community. 

A Tallgrass parent said this about what she wanted for her daughter: “I want her to know herself and her interests, what drives her, what makes her glow. I want her to know those things and to have time to get to know that as opposed to me telling her what she should do or someone else. [After being at Tallgrass] She’s not afraid of expressing her true self.”

To apply, prospective applicants must complete an initial call with our admissions director and an enrollment interview by May 15, via phone or video conference. Applicants do not need to submit financial aid applications, but should announce their intent to apply for the scholarship during the enrollment interview. Scholarship recipients will be notified by June 1. The scholarship is open to students 4 through 18 who are not already enrolled at Tallgrass. Only one scholarship per family will be awarded.

To apply or get more information about the scholarship program or our school, please contact us at info@tallgrasssudbury.org. 

March Open House

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2021

6:00-7:00 p.m.

Where: Tallgrass Sudbury School

85 Kimbark Rd.

Riverside, IL 60546

What: Join us for a presentation about the benefits of a Tallgrass education, get a tour, and talk with the school's staff, students, and current parents.

This event will take place IN PERSON and in accordance with CDC guidelines. RSVP REQUIRED. Space is limited for social distancing purposes.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tallgrass-sudbury-school-march-open-house-tickets-142020494121

Tallgrass Offering In-person Learning Starting February 1st!

Tallgrass will be returning to in-person school on February 1st! Starting on that date, we will stay open unless the COVID-19 positivity rate in Suburban Cook County goes above 12% or if otherwise necessary due to state mandates. As of 1/24, Suburban Cook County has a 6.9% 7-day rolling positivity rate. All safety precautions that were set for in-person learning in the fall (including mask wearing, social distancing, frequent cleaning and disinfecting, etc.) will continue to be in effect. 

We are also offering fully remote and hybrid options for families who are still uncomfortable sending their student/s to school due to concerns related to COVID-19.

Contact us at info@tallgrasssudbury to learn more about enrollment!

Thank you for helping us reach our fundraising goal!

On behalf of the Tallgrass community, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Holiday Fundraising Campaign! Your donation helps ensure the future of Tallgrass and access to Sudbury education for students in the Chicago area in years to come! Our final total was $3,030, which exceeded our original goal of $3,000!

Just $450 To Go To Reach Our Holiday Fundraising Goal!

Just $450 to go to reach our goal of $1,500, which will be match by an anonymous donor for a total of $3,000! Please consider donating! We are almost there!

50% Of The Way To Our Holiday Fundraising Goal!

We are 50% of the way to meeting our holiday fundraising goal. Just $750 to go! Please consider donating to our holiday fundraising campaign to help keep Tallgrass strong for years to come! Any little bit helps!

Tallgrass Holiday Fundraising Campaign

Dear Tallgrass Supporter:

Tallgrass, the only Sudbury school in Illinois, inspires passion and changes lives. We’re proud to be part of a school where students are excited to come to school in the morning and look forward to returning to school after breaks. Our students love their school, and they need your help to keep it strong for years to come.

Since March, we have pivoted to remote learning, to an outdoor program, and to our current hybrid model, supporting students in their self-directed pursuits and balancing the need for connection with the need for safety. Our community has remained strong, but like many other nonprofits, our income has decreased while our fixed expenses remain essential. In order to make up for lower income during this time, we have set a goal to raise $3,000 by December 31.

A generous donor has offered to match donations up to $1,500. We need your help to reach the other half of our goal. Tallgrass is funded 100% by tuition and donations from generous individuals. A quarter of our students come from families making under $25,000 per year. Like most independent schools, the majority of our donations come from family, friends, and alumni. Every gift, no matter the size, gets us closer to our goal and strengthens our mission of supporting students in their self-directed education. Tallgrass is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and donations are fully tax deductible.

Will you make a gift to help preserve Tallgrass’s future? Make a note on the Paypal donation form to donate in the name of a student or someone else you love. Or contact the school to donate via check or another method that is convenient for you.

Thank you for your continued support of our school and self-directed education!

Sincerely,

The Tallgrass Community