The Origin and Ideals of the Modern School

The author traces the development of his educational ideals and describes founding a secular, rationalist school that prioritized co-education across sexes and social classes, school hygiene, and trained teachers. He explains classroom methods that reject rewards and punishments, outlines curricular and extracurricular initiatives including a public library and lectures, and reports observed results. Chapters defend the programme against critics, analyze the ingenuousness of children, and recount the closing of the school, closing with an epilogue that reflects on the aims and practical challenges of progressive educational reform.