Summerhill School
I [heart] Summerhill. If you don’t know, Summerhill School is located in the United Kingdom. It was started in 1921 by A.S. Neill and has become a role model for democratic education and youth power around the world.
Following are episodes from the UK documentary show entitled, “Summerhill.” It dramatizes the school’s struggle to stay open in the face of government pressure to conform to standards. I hope you enjoy the show and the lessons it embodies, and I’d love to hear what you think.
Adam F.C. Fletcher 
I spent two hours last night watching the Summerhill movie online, thanks to your blog. I’m surprised and delighted that it’s available to us here in the US! I had friends who created a charter school in Santa Clara, CA patterned after Summerhill, so I was familiar with Neill’s concept and fully supportive. The movie is a terrific dramatization of Summerhill principles. The children were so empowered! It saddens me that we have not found a way to make this approach available to all our children. We just don’t want to give up controlling young people. It’s typical for those who are oppressed to become the oppressors, and as recipients of adultism when we’re young, it’s not surprising that we are practitioners of adultism when we’re older. I guess it will take a true leap in human evolution for Summerhill to be the standard by which we measure education. I just hope it can withstand any future attempts to darken it’s brilliant light.
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Heya,To celebrate the success of the above-mentioned BBC drama, Summerhill is holding a fundraising event in London on March 19th – funds raised go towards bursaries for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to attend the school.More details in the flyer here:http://mishagale.fastmail.fm/summerhill.pdf
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