How To Start You Own School

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Three of the women start teaching "basics" in one of the homes. Neighbors complain at the noise (there are 18 kids), the complaint electrifies the group into combat—kids and parents work around the clock printing leaflets, calling on politicians, winning support from radical political groups. They worry occasionally about "not having time for the school" but the children seem far happier and some of the fathers feel they're learning Indian ways just fine.

After three months of this their local public school district informs the police department of the truancy of the 18 children and the parents are ordered to show cause why their children should not be enrolled in the public school. Some decide to fight it, get an ACLU lawyer, who puts them in touch with the New Schools Exchange—they are stunned to find hundreds of schools started by people not too different from themselves. They decide to get a charter, incorporate, become a legal school in order to satisfy compulsory attendance laws. But some parents regard this as selling out, and threaten to fight any probation officer's attempts to take their children to the public school.

The once-unified group drifts apart—into these two camps—fighters and accommodators . . .

SCENE 4

About eight families of country people living near a resort area decide their children ought to have some schooling.

Mostly poets and musicians, they gather one Sunday afternoon in the summer. About half are on welfare. They decide start gathering together every morning when September rolls around, and do what whoever shows up wants to do. Someone suggests that they drop acid together and have a heavy learning experience but there's strong disagreement about this and the idea drifts away. Grass is passed freely, then gallons of wine.

The children wander in and out, seem mildly amused.

About the middle of September they begin gathering each morning anywhere from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. The children have a good time playing; the grown-ups sit in the morning sun drinking tea. Every now and then a parent will read a story to whichever of the children want to hear. There are suggestions about art classes every now and then. Everyone—children and grownups both—seem nervous at any mention of learning "skills like writing and spelling."

After a time, several of the families wish they had more craft teaching and decide to search for a teacher. They find a rather large woman who is a noted craftswoman and invite her to be "a teacher in the school." She asks for $200 and five of the eight families say they'll pay $40 per month each to pay it.

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