Libertarian Education: Key Figures and Principles
The “anti-authoritarian movement” encompasses all streams that prioritize the defense of freedom in education, as opposed to the dictates of institutions or individuals. These streams exhibit a strong impulse to reevaluate individuality, which necessitates rethinking educational relations. The terms “libertarian” and “anarchist” are often considered synonymous. Anarchists assert the essential freedom of the individual and social nature, believing that education should help surface feelings of solidarity and cooperation. Anarchists reject traditional schools and state institutions, understanding that they serve the powerful and prevent the masses from becoming aware of their own strength and rights. Anarchism, in its formal claims, advocates for a classless school.
In education, the libertarian orientation champions absolute freedom for the student. In practice, libertarian ideology rejects any authoritarian behavior and provides children with a full range of options, eliminating the adult’s imposition of their will. The libertarian movement denies the State’s initiative in education.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
Leo Tolstoy was born into a noble family, the owner of the Yasnaya Polyana estate, and received an education commensurate with his status. Before creating a school on his estate, he traveled to Europe to learn about contemporary educational trends and observe school organization and methods. However, he returned disappointed. He only favored the school and method of Pestalozzi.
The Yasnaya Polyana school was founded as an alternative to the traditional Russian education imparted at the time. For about four years, Tolstoy gave free lessons to the children of farmers. This school was built on the fundamental principle of freedom: students had complete freedom to attend or not attend explanations, and to attend class or not. They were not assigned duties, nor did they have to use books or notebooks. There were no tests. The teacher was no longer the center of the educational process, becoming a referee or coordinator whose activity was based on the motivation of students, according to their interests and needs. Tolstoy made a distinction between instruction and education. For him, schools should address instruction, while education is the sole responsibility of the family. Tolstoy’s pedagogical thought was one of liberation.
Paul Robin (1837-1912)
Paul Robin, a French teacher, was born into a bourgeois and pious family. He committed suicide in 1912. In 1880, he was appointed director of the Cempuis orphanage, where he implemented the ideology of inclusive education under a coeducational regime. It was considered the first educational center organized according to anarchist ideology. The essential principles of thought and practice at Cempuis were: intellectual education, physical education for military purposes, and technical education based on productive work. Classes were held outdoors whenever possible, and hygiene and cleanliness were key. Despite being a school with anarchist approaches, it applied rigid discipline. For Robin, science and work liberated the world. To take away the bourgeoisie’s monopoly on science, a social revolution and the organization of comprehensive instruction were needed.
Francisco Ferrer Guardia (1859-1909)
Francisco Ferrer Guardia was born in Alella, Barcelona, and was shot dead in 1909, accused of being the main instigator of the so-called Tragic Week. In 1901, a wealthy widow who had been one of his students died, leaving him a significant legacy that he devoted to creating the Modern School, intended for children during the day and adults at night. For Ferrer, the Modern School’s mission was to make children become educated, truthful, fair, and free from prejudice. To do so, he replaced dogmatic teaching with the reasoned study of the natural sciences.
Characteristics of the Modern School
- The child is free, even to leave the school.
- The student enjoys wide freedom of movement: going to the board, looking at books, and leaving the room whenever they wish.
- There are no exams, punishments, or rewards.
Ferrer rejected competitive assessments and encouraged children to engage in crafts, gardening, cleaning, and domestic work as a means of putting both sexes on the same level.
The Modern School of Barcelona was not free. It adopted a payment system tailored to the economic circumstances of parents, as Ferrer did not want a school for the poor, but rather a school where there would be co-education of the poor and the rich. His last words before the firing squad were: “Long live the Modern School!”
A.S. Neill (1883-1973)
A.S. Neill, a Scottish educator, had broad confidence in the nature of the child and humanity as a whole. He believed that it is society (school and family) that adversely affects their behavior. The purpose of education should be to teach people how to live and prepare children for a happy life.
Summerhill was a response to the traditional school that Neill hated. His principle was “live and let live.”
According to Neill, Summerhill was the happiest school. “More than a school, it is a way of life in community.” Its basic components were the self and psychoanalysis. Freedom and anti-authoritarianism were the most decisive features: children could do whatever they desired as long as they did not infringe upon the freedom of others. The two fundamental principles of Summerhill were self-regulation, understood as a synthesis of freedom and self-control, and self-government (the children themselves set the rules and are responsible for fulfilling them). In Summerhill, high school was taught, classes were optional, and there were no grades or academic degrees. Students who decided to attend class received a traditional education.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, focused primarily on psychotherapy. He based his ideas on a critique of the university education system. His theory is based on non-directivity, improving freedom of choice and personal choice of the learner while avoiding excessive involvement of the educator. The only learning that can influence behavior is that which the individual discovers and accepts for themselves. The key process is for students to take responsibility for their learning. To educate is not to teach, but to learn. Learning can only take place when the student expresses a desire to learn; therefore, trying to teach those who are not interested is useless. Assessment plays an important role; only the student can evaluate the learning process. This type of assessment positively motivates students and helps them feel more responsible. Ultimately, both in therapy and in learning, it is based on freedom of action, autonomy, research, and discovery—in essence, self-learning.