A parent's fear of the future affords a poor prognosis for the
health of his children. This fear, oddly enough, shows itself in
the desire that his children should learn more than he has
learned. This kind of parent is not content to leave Willie to
learn to read when he wants to, but nervously fears that Willie
will be a failure in life unless he is pushed. Such parents cannot
wait for the child to go at his own rate. They ask, If my son
cannot read at twelve, what chance has he of success in life? If
he cannot pass college entrance exams at eighteen, what is there
for him but an unskilled job? But I have learned to wait and
watch a child make little or no progress. I never doubt that in
the end, if not molested or damaged, he will succeed in life.

Of course, the philistine can say, "Humph, so you call a truck
driver a success in life!" My own criterion of success is the abil-
ity to work joyfully and to live positively. Under that defini-
tion, most pupils in Summerhill turn out to be successes in life.

Tom came to Summerhill at the age of five. He left at seven-
teen, without having in all those years gone to a single lesson.
He spent much time in the workshop making things. His fa-
ther and mother trembled with apprehension about his future.
He never showed any desire to learn to read. But one night
when he was nine, I found him in bed reading David Copper-
field.

"Hullo," I said, "who taught you to read?"

"I taught myself."

Some years later, he came to me to ask, "How do you add a
half and two-fifths?" and I told him. I asked if he wanted to
know any more. "No thanks," he said.

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