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Last weekend at the Ardmore Free Library book sale, I picked up a book called "Summerhill USA," by Richard E. Bull. Have you heard of Summerhill? It's a free school in Suffolk, England that was established in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill. It's one of the foundational "free schools"—schools based on the idea that total freedom is the best environment in which a child can develop and learn. That means nothing is "required"—all classes and activities are optional, in the sense that students don't attend unless they want to. Furthermore, the school operates as a democratic community: decisions are made on a democratic basis, with students, faculty, and staff allowed an equal vote.