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Few among the modern educational experiments are more interesting than the Walden School, which was founded in 1914 by the writer of the present volume. After eight years, the active management of the school was delegated to two of her associates, and Margaret Naumburg became Advisory Director.
In this book Miss Naumburg has presented the salient features of her scheme and for some not very obvious reason has chosen the Socratic method. The chapters of the book are a series of imaginary conversations about the school, the protagonists symbolizing various aspects of society. Thus there are several conversations between the school psychologist and typical parents, one between a father and the director, one between the new-school physician and the old-fashioned pediatrician, etc.
Every one of the readers of this periodical is doubtless familiar with the Walden School. One of the best-known of the so-called experimental or laboratory schools, it has voiced a passionate protest against formalism in education; where the Babbits and the Bonsers and the Fords have preached standardization and social service and mass methods, this school has held out for individualism and human values: Philosophy rather than efficiency, poise instead of pep.
In her book Miss Naumburg makes out an excellent case for her school. Especially interesting are her comments on the requirements a teacher should have:
“The new teachers need a deeper knowledge of their own unconscious emotional life, as well as that of their pupils. But it is equally important that parents as well as teachers should know more of this inward life of their children. For when subject matter is no longer permitted to displace human values, the growth of a creative school depends on the constant development and transformation of all the human beings concerned with the school; this includes teachers and parents as well as children.” (Page 36)
Already results are seen, children have gone out from the Walden School to other schools