Summerhill Presentations in Italy

I gave several presentations on Summerhill and other examples of children's rights in action to Italian audiences in Forli, Bologna, Cesana and Ravenna. You can see one of these events on programme on Ravenna Web TV. The events were organised by Associazione La Lucertola

I started with the image of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz looking for his heart, and the Scarecrow looking for a brain. A.S.Neill created Summerhill as a school that would develop the children's hearts (emotions) and heads together. And the Scarecrow gets a brain from the Professor of Oz by being given a diploma, he suddenly becomes intelligent! An image of education that far too often defines what schools do and how they are inspected, exam results are everything!

Frankenstein and children's rights

Go and see Frankenstein at the National Theatre. Of all the cultural events this year in London, this is the one that made me cry with joy and sadness at the image of a 'child' being refused its rights due to its 'image'. The creature in this production represents us all. It represents the child without god seeking its identity, its community, its meaning.

Without children's rights all those who claim to campaign for human rights are simply putting plasters of therapy over the powerlessness and lack of human dignity we are given as children.

Frankenstein, rights and the Co-op

Have been to a seminar at the Institute of Education on Co-operative Schools. I had two questions. Why apparently respond to the 'privatisation of schools' agenda when promoting co-operative schools. I was on a panel for Social Enterprise London some three years ago, on School as Social Enterprises, I argued for co-operative schools under local authority control and state ownership. Indeed one of the Directors agreed with me on the platform, that good schools needed to include children as part of their 'stakeholders'.

The other question, was the need to have children as active community members in their schools, how were they putting their voice into the decision-making structures, not as consumers, or customers, but as active citizens?

My paper on why all children and teachers should learn about Summerhill and similar examples has been promoted on the UNESCO web community IBE Community of Practioners, second item down.