Like the Forest Elementary School, both the Summerhill and Pashih schools are "outside the system." Both have few students--only 50 or 60.

The Summerhill School was founded in Scotland by A.S. Neill in 1921. Although he has been long dead, the school is still operated by his wife.

A.S. Neill repeatedly expressed the following ideal in his book Summerhill: Children are good by nature. If only you give them enough respect and care, and allow them to freely develop, they will develop sincere and healthy characters, and achieve the humanitarian goal of "working happily, living actively."

He employed a number of cases to demonstrate that bad behavior or speech among children is often the result of pressure or restraints from adults. The influence of the parents cannot be overlooked, nor can the teaching methods employed in schools escape blame.

Given this understanding, A. S. Neill was determined to eliminate authority and control in founding his school, and to let the children learn and develop according to their own interests. The school would post a class schedule, but not compel attendance; afternoons were free time; and there were activities in the evening, including film appreciation, psychology lectures, reading discussions, and evenings for dance or theatre.

All group affairs were governed by the student run "school assembly," as determined by ballot. "Individual discussion" was the best way for A. S. Neill to communicate with them.

Dou Dou by the Window is a book of the scattered memories of school life through the eyes of a first grade schoolgirl. The author, Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, is a famous Japanese actress and TV hostess, and one of the United Nations' four Friendship Ambassadors. In her youth, she had to leave school because she loved to just stare out the window during class, and she transferred to the Pashih school founded by Kobayashi Syusaku.

From her vivid drips of memory, it is clear that Kobayashi Syusaku was also an educator dedicated to free child development. Students could freely choose their classes in classrooms converted from old trolley cars, and were guided individually by the teacher. To give them knowledge of the vitality of life, he even arranged to have a farmer come and teach about farming.

As for self-discipline, he didn't lecture, he just let the children learn its importance from daily experience, and to automatically develop it in themselves.

Kobayashi Syusaku also took the advice of a composer and created a "Melody Class," teaching the children how to feel music in their hearts. He also let the children absorb the vibrations of nature as much as possible.

Although the school was closed after only six years due to the outbreak of World War Ⅱ, Kobayashi's sincerity and richly creative ideas on teaching have been preserved through the high sales of Dou Dou by the Window.

Although these two schools both became renowned through experimental methods, the fruits of their methods have not been at odds with success in the "real world." Most of their graduates have adapted well to society, and many have come to be leaders in a variety of fields, giving testimony of success on be half of the schools' educational notions.

A "do what you wanna do" mentality has created an atmosphere of independence and autonomy.

（Left） Sliding on the slope and letting it all hang out; this is one of the games Forest children like most.

"All those who approve of the motion to have 'no hitting for one week,' please raise your hands." At the self governing meeting, students and teachers alike get one vote each.