St. John's College and The New Program
In a way, St. John’s College is a free school of a different ilk than
either Summerhill or Sudbury Valley. St. John’s enrolls students who have for
the most part completed their childhoods. It is a liberal arts college and
offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree. Its daily structure and the
contents of its program are strictly prescribed and are not optional for or
subject to change by the student. On the surface, therefore, St. John’s
College is not a free school as we initially described them.
However, this distinction might be less persuasive than it first appears.
After all, the lessons of freedom which are offered at St. John’s are not
those of controlling one’s daily schedule or balancing one’s emotional life
with other interests. Those lessons are properly learned in childhood and early
adolescence, before enrollment at St. John’s. The focus of St. John’s
program is almost exclusively intellectual. In the realm of intellect, the New
Program of St. John’s College might be the most intense experience in actual
freedom of any institution now in operation.
A review of the history of St.
John's College explains its unique place in the tradition of liberal
education and in the founding of The New School. St. John's is key,
because of its New Program, adopted in
1937.
The New Program of St. John’s College consists of two elements: the
contents of the books which form the focus and catalysts of discussion, and the
spirit of rigorous, rational, shared inquiry through conversation and engagement
of ideas. It is this second element, the spirit and style of intellectual
engagement which The New School has gained from its roots in the New Program.
The presence in The New School of adults experienced in and adept at the
skills of reason as exercised in the New Program has provided a preference for
articulate, shared exploration, in addition to the other forms of growth and
learning which the free school traditions of Summerhill and Sudbury Valley
afford. The forms and practices of The New School are wholly compatible with the
insights of Summerhill and the inner freedom which its program offers. The New
School is wholly compatible with the insights and innovations of Sudbury Valley
School and the political freedom and social competence which its program
affords. However, in addition to these benefits, The New School brings the
intellectual tradition and practices of the New Program of St. John’s College.
Through rigorous and articulate discussion and the application of the skills of
reason to the emotional and practical experiences of the students, The New
School gives full and meaningful weight to the value of intellectual engagement
of life and the world.
