There he met Homer Lane, one of the early advocates of "progressive education, " who introduced him to Freudian psychology and convinced him that the best way to deal with a recalcitrant or delinquent child is to allow the child to govern himself. Neill voluntarily left the school for a brief sojourn as an artillery cadet. It was at this time that he first became convinced that conventional education was oppressive and futile. He then worked briefly in journalism and did editorial work for an encyclopedia.Īt the beginning of World War I, Neill became headmaster of a coeducational school in Scotland which prepared its students for work on farms and in domestic service. He then spent what he described as three wretched years as a teacher in a school in Fife, received his teaching certification, and moved on to a school where discipline was easier and his life was somewhat happier for two years. Shortly thereafter, he became a pupil-teacher in his father's school, where he remained for four years. He then worked as an assistant in a dry-goods shop. At the age of 14, Neill went to work as an office boy in an Edinburgh factory, but he became so lonely and homesick that his parents allowed him to return home.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |