TVS is no different from the school down the street in its commitment to academics. We just do academics in a way that actually works. A way that develops a whole person. A research- and evidence-based way of producing learning that lasts. As TVS grows, and as we look toward opening the high school — one we fully intend to position as a college-preparatory program — it is time to own that story. Fully and without caveat.

Welcome back to the Sounds of TVS, a podcast where you can hear stories of the Village School, directly from the voices of the learners.  As the end of the school year quickly approaches, eight of our learners are preparing to graduate from the Village School. Before they leave, I sat down with them to ask them one simple question: How would you describe your time at TVS?

Are we, as adults, teaching young people that it is not just okay to use your imagination, but that it is important to the world? Is forcing children to learn according to a standardized test really giving space for their imagination? Are adults deciding what children should research or write about valuing their imagination?

Using their creativity, learners designed homes, trees, animals, food, plants, and even microscopes, making their part of the community their own. As they collaborated, this purposeful activity not only highlighted their independence but also demonstrated their teamwork, as each learner considered how their creations connected with others' to build a thriving community.

Check out what each studio has planned for Session 6 of the school year - from mini-golf to Shakespeare! It’s going to be a wonderful six weeks!

We used to think that we were just writing and hearing about other people’s topics, but now we think it’s much more than that. A lot of people didn’t know about these topics before. Now, after researching and listening, we understand how many people are actually affected by these problems. 

At the Village School, I feel my childlike self coming alive more and more. This environment invites wonder. It creates space for imagination. It gently pushes me to step outside the box of my practical, adult dreams and return to dreaming playfully.

.Learners shared that independence doesn’t just mean working alone or with another learner. It means choosing challenging work, finishing your goals, being a leader, learning from mistakes, and continuing to try even when something feels hard. Many learners also pointed out that curiosity is an important part of independence. When they are curious, they start to wonder, ask questions, and explore new ideas. That curiosity helps them stay excited about learning.

What does it mean to be a self-directed learner? We asked the learners themselves - and their answers were better than anything we could have come up with

Just like skiing, learning and doing something new or challenging can feel wobbly and uncomfortable. There might be sideways knees and icy patches. There will be moments of doubt. 

But as the Spark learner told me. Failing, and falling, is learning. And part of that learning is discovering you can get back up!

So let them wobble! Let them fall! Let them feel the nerves that come with trying something hard! And let them learn how to stand back up again. Because resilience is not built by avoiding the hill, but built on the way down.

A 2024 study found that IQ scores are still rising, but much more slowly than before: 1.2 IQ points per decade rather than the expected 3. So kids are getting smarter, but just barely. Hooray.

This session TVS learners will step into the shoes of entrepreneurs, biologists, speechwriters, and make huge strides in their own journey as Trailblazers. Check out this session’s sneak peek!

In a post earlier this year, I shared about how middle school learners are more capable than the world gives them credit for. Recently, I was reminded of this truth while attending several Adventure learner-led presentations. Something I did not do until several years into my career, Adventure learners embraced with enthusiasm, professionalism, and poise.

When I taught in a public school that hosted parent-teacher conferences, I always had anxiety leading up to the conferences. I was instructed to bring up a student's low test scores, concerning attendance, or challenging behaviors. It felt so negative. And I began to dread parent-teacher conferences. Journey Reviews at The Village School showed me a different way.

The confidence built was inspiring to witness, and showed me that the key to finding success in learning a new skill isn’t always pushing yourself to your limits; it’s having a community around you that supports and encourages you. A circle that cheers you on when you fail is the norm here at TVS, and that in itself is a gift. 

The learners have taught me that being a boy today means navigating pressure to succeed, have “mad aura”, and be the “best” at something among their peers. There’s also pressure to keep it together emotionally. Most of the learners at TVS have shared that if they could change one thing about being a boy, it would be the freedom to share how they feel without the fear of being seen as weak.

The Session 4 Sneak Peek is here! Spark will dive into music making, Discovery will dive into Game Design and further hone their journalism skills in Writer’s Workshop. Adventure will continue their Biology focus through the lens of all things Biomimicry.

As you read these learners’ blogs, you will see spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. But we hope you can look past the writing and focus on the stories being shared by some brave young people. So please read on and enjoy Discovery Studios' takeover blog posts!

Over the past two weeks, Spark learners have engaged in a Survival-themed session that has helped them build real-world skills, resilience, and teamwork. We began by exploring what survival truly means: staying safe, healthy, and calm no matter what happens. The STOP method was introduced (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan) to guide learners through difficult situations, such as getting separated from family or friends at a theme park.

These intense moments are a release of emotion that has been pent up during the school day. Our children experience pressure in many forms at school. There is social pressure - a constant navigation for humans to figure out how to belong in a community of people. There is academic pressure to succeed which at TVS, comes in the form of meeting self-selected goals and daily pressure to master their badge plans. And then there is the hustle and bustle of the holiday season that we are currently experiencing, which puts our learners on a roller coaster of excitement until winter break.