Respect for self and for others is at the heart of our philosophy at Sligo Sudbury, and the concept of consent is something we discuss openly and often. The word consent nowadays seems to be equated only with sexual consent and bodily integrity, and while these are undoubtedly big issues n our society, a broader understanding of what consent means is needed. It means, as the children will tell you, quite simply, to ask permission without bribery or threats, to seek clarification, and to be upfront with all the information before seeking it.
Consent is not a simple subject. Learning that talking your friend into something …. “Can I borrow your bike?” “Em….well… i don’t know” “Oh come on… don’t be mean..” “Oh, Ok”…….is NOT consent opens up all kinds of discussions about sharing and friendship and underlines that consent is a personal choice always, regardless of relationship, previous history, or request.
Freedom is another core element in our philosophy. Without it we couldn’t function as self-directed learners. Freedom is wonderful and requires us to consider the freedoms of others. With all of our rights come certain responsibilities … to ourselves and to others, our families, our friends, our communities. Taking up responsibilities enables our Freedom. Not being a slave to the path of less resistance enables our Freedom. We use concepts from Cass Sunstein’s book On Freedom to help us to understand that freedom of choice alone does not guarantee our freedom, we must also be able to navigate life. Getting to know ourselves, setting up routines and habits that help us with self-control and decision making and, becoming aware of the impact of distractions in our lives, can all help us towards true Freedom.
Each year, as agreed by School Meeting, we run workshops on both these topics for all ages to create a culture of respect, and to ensure we all understand and can discuss the principles that underpin our democratic school. We practice this philosophy every day in all of our activities at school.