VIEWS OF EX-SUMMERHILLIANS
“For me non-compulsory lessons were a clear advantage. I had spent an unhappy year at (X) School prior to Summerhill, and was developing a distaste for learning that Summerhill helped me overcome.” (British female with a degree in Art and Design; now working for the BBC.)
“Non-compulsory lessons were an advantage, though hard to adjust to at first. I learned more at Summerhill in my one year of being able to attend what subjects I wanted and as many classes as interested me than I did in four years of US high school.” (American male with a BA in English Literature; now completing a degree in Mass Communication and working for AT and T.)
“Until I was almost ten years old I went to a C of E private school which, of course, had compulsory lessons. The years I spent there were the most miserable years of my life; I hated school and was constantly anxious – it did nothing at all to aid my education. Non-compulsory lessons give a child the confidence to make his/her own decisions and to be trusted to do so.” (British female working for Channel 4 TV and completing an Open University degree.)
“I believe that my love of learning was preserved by Summerhill’s non-compulsory lesson policy.” (American female currently completing a BA in Arts and Sciences.)
“Non-compulsory lessons were an advantage because they were (and are) fundamental to the philosophy that says children and young people learn best when they are personally motivated. Children are born learners. Neill understood this and it is probably impossible for Ofsted to comprehend the subtlety of letting children go towards sources of information in order to learn, rather than forcing them, under compulsion to absorb a given number of facts.” (British male, former journalist and ex deputy news editor of the ‘Times Educational Supplement’; now working with disabled children.)
“Making a student attend classes does not ensure an education. But to instil excitement about learning creates a vehicle that will last a student a lifetime. Summerhill creates the latter! Not making lessons mandatory instils in the student a sense of responsibility and dedication. I was able to carry this same dedication throughout my schooling. Summerhill instilled in me that I could achieve anything I wanted to. And I have!” (American female with a BA in Music and a Masters degree in Nursing; now a Family Nurse Practitioner.)
“The most valuable thing about Summerhill was non-compulsory lessons. I think with compulsory lessons my interest in subjects I studied would have been significantly reduced. This would have made learning more difficult. This would be particularly important with physics, the subject I’m currently studying at university.” (British male in the final year of a physics degree.)
