Homer Lane
Encyclopedia
Homer Lane was an American-born educator who believed that the behaviour and character of children improved when they were given more control over their lives.
He was born in Connecticut and started his teaching career at Peters High School in Southborough
, Massachusetts
. He later went to Detroit
, where he worked with youths who had run afoul of the law. In 1912 he was invited to go to England
where he founded the Little Commonwealth school in Dorset
and greatly influenced A. S. Neill
, the founder of Summerhill School
.
Homer Lane had two children by his first wife, Cora Barney, and three by his second wife. They also adopted a daughter. He died in Paris
after having been deported from England for failing to maintain his alien registration. His family remained in England.
Lane's foremost disciple was his patient, Alexander S. Neill, who began a school, Summerhill, which became exceptionally well known after an American publisher, Harold Hart, published Summerhill: A Radical Approach To Child Rearing, in 1960, as the book sold 200,000 copies. Hart had never before published a trade book, being a publisher of children's books and having been advised strongly against publishing Neill's. He was given moral support by a number of alternative educators in the United States, but took the plunge on his own.
The American school, Summerlane, in North Branch
, New York
, was explicitly named for Summerhill and Homer Lane. It began in 1963 in North Carolina
but was burned by racists and moved to Mileses, New York, then settled near North Branch, in farmland near the hamlet of Roscoe, New York
, off Highway 17
.
He was born in Connecticut and started his teaching career at Peters High School in Southborough
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He later went to Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, where he worked with youths who had run afoul of the law. In 1912 he was invited to go to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he founded the Little Commonwealth school in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and greatly influenced A. S. Neill
A. S. Neill
Alexander Sutherland Neill was a Scottish progressive educator, author and founder of Summerhill school, which remains open and continues to follow his educational philosophy to this day...
, the founder of Summerhill School
Summerhill School
Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
.
Homer Lane had two children by his first wife, Cora Barney, and three by his second wife. They also adopted a daughter. He died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after having been deported from England for failing to maintain his alien registration. His family remained in England.
Lane's foremost disciple was his patient, Alexander S. Neill, who began a school, Summerhill, which became exceptionally well known after an American publisher, Harold Hart, published Summerhill: A Radical Approach To Child Rearing, in 1960, as the book sold 200,000 copies. Hart had never before published a trade book, being a publisher of children's books and having been advised strongly against publishing Neill's. He was given moral support by a number of alternative educators in the United States, but took the plunge on his own.
The American school, Summerlane, in North Branch
Callicoon (town), New York
Callicoon is a town in Sullivan County, New York, USA. The population was 3,052 at the 2000 census. The town is in the northwestern part of the county.- History :...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, was explicitly named for Summerhill and Homer Lane. It began in 1963 in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
but was burned by racists and moved to Mileses, New York, then settled near North Branch, in farmland near the hamlet of Roscoe, New York
Roscoe, New York
Roscoe is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 597 at the 2000 census.Roscoe is in the southwest part of the Town of Rockland, adjacent to New York State Route 17....
, off Highway 17
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...
.