Fundamentally, I did not want to teach in a conventional school. From my own experience through attending typical schools, I knew that I could satisfy my curiosity to learn, in some basic ways. However, as a child, I spent some memorable time in the classroom daydreaming while looking out the windows, imagining motorboats from the sounds of lawn mowers. I had wanted much more contact with the real, outside world, more hands-on activities and experiential learning, and more meaningful, mutually caring relationships with my teachers and peers. Although my own schooling years were busy with managing assignments and activities, and memorizing information, the spark of initiative and inspiration within me was muted. I could satisfy the expectations of the adults in my life, but I was not free to invent or implement my own dreams.  

As an adult, I came to dislike and disbelieve in the power differential between students and their adult teachers and administrators, whereby students had very little power to make consequential decisions. I did not like the formal, institutional atmosphere in most schools. Indeed, I probably would have never chosen teaching as a career; I would have done anything other than become a teacher. I liked being with children; I just didn’t like the huge gulf of impersonality and formality between teachers and students in the schools of my era.

I had been shocked when my mother showed me where my Grade 4 teacher lived, in my community, with her husband and children—I had thought that she lived at the school! That was the only place I had seen her. The only spontaneous conversation that happened in class between her and the students was when we purposely asked her bizarre questions that threw her off track from her lesson. We all enjoyed those spontaneous discussions about random topics, but we knew they were considered superfluous to what was supposed to be happening in the classroom. In fact, though, they contained the seeds of creativity and connection. School was run as a group operation, and teachers as a group ended up coming across as a rather stultified and boring assemblage of people. At one point, I decided that I would never teach in a traditional program.

These were the days when girls didn’t seem to have many socially correct choices in career—most grew up to be teachers, nurses, flight attendants, librarians, store clerks, musicians, hairdressers and office secretaries. It was the late 60s, though, when I graduated from university, and by that time, other possibilities for women started opening up—some started turning to computer technology, ecology, medicine, anthropology, social work, law and the arts. I thoroughly enjoyed my university experience, as I found interest in a wide-ranging choice of courses. If anything, I didn’t want to choose between different fields to specialize. Becoming a teacher, however, did offer me a chance to learn about everything.

Then the unexpected happened. I was given a book, Summerhill, by A. S. Neill. As I read it, a spark was ignited in me to create innovation and real change in the world. As a result, my whole life changed direction. Neill ran a boarding school of about 60 students in England. I never have liked boarding schools in principle, as I believe that children and parents need each other. However, Neill had espoused two core principles that I loved: first, he believed that children have a right to be happy, as a basic human right; second, he believed that children should have the right to determine the course of their own lives, as long as they don’t interfere with the rights of others. These two main ideas were startling to me, in their positivity and their practical expression of liberty in relationship to schooling. Moreover, I was especially intrigued by the dawning realization that adults, being proactive decision makers, are not restricted by their instincts, habits or traditions. Adults choose their own philosophies of living, child rearing and education, and these philosophical constructs naturally become manifest in their schools! So, although many schools are built of stone and feel immovable and unchangeable, the ideas behind them are not actually written in stone. This realization presented an exciting vista for me—to design a different vision of schooling. 

At this point, I added a Bachelor of Education to my Bachelor of Arts degree and began teaching in the system. I gained firsthand experience with how this system operated, and I observed the outcomes and effects upon me and my students. I had a chance to compare it with my newly burgeoning educational philosophy. At the same time, for six years, I read books only about psychology and education, mainly because I wanted to learn how adults could nurture children so that they did not interfere with the rights of others when they pursued their goals.

The answer to that was discovered in the book, P.E.T.: Parent Effectiveness Training, by Dr. Thomas Gordon. If a person interferes with your rights, you merely say, “When you do this particular thing, it causes this particular impact upon me, and I don’t like it. This behaviour doesn’t work for me.” Simple. The book outlines how to listen, how to complain, how to problem solve, and how to deal with values issues. We still teach the course every year at Banbury Crossroads. The strategies have become second nature to our operation.

I also wanted to explore the psychology of “normal” child development (as opposed to “abnormal”), including the source of self-esteem and the practical processes of childhood learning, to assess the validity of my newfound beliefs. In those six years, I also discovered schools around the world that were trying different things in their operation and vision. I also gained my Early Childhood Services Diploma from the University of Calgary, to enable me to open a kindergarten program. In the process of educating myself about other ways of doing schooling, I discovered the Open Classroom model in the modern British Infant School System, where the organization was based on a student-directed, tutorial model of instruction, rather than a teacher-paced, lecture-based method. I loved the thought of young people being able to move, make decisions, develop meaningful relationships with teachers, collaborate as well as work independently, and experience the real world directly, all within the expectation of mutual respect. In other words, I discovered that school did not have to be the way I had experienced it. It could be otherwise. Children could be happy in school. Banbury Crossroads School has become that otherwise school to me.

When I decided to pursue this dream, I was aware that my educational venture was unusual, and that there was only one other private school in Calgary in 1979. It actually felt like I was stepping off the face of the Earth. Nevertheless, the overwhelming feeling was excitement and eagerness to begin! My burning question was not whether I would start this school, but how. I busied myself with the practical details of contacting Alberta Education for information about the formal process of starting a school, and advertising for like-minded teachers to form a society. We immediately realized, though, that during the initial buildup of students, the school would only be able to financially support one teacher. So, I had posters made, and I ran open houses to gather parents who would be interested in sending their children to such a learning environment. 

I started by myself, beginning with two students and two sets of brave parents. By the end of the year, there were four students, and the following year the number grew to six. My son, Liam Cummings, was born in the third year after the school’s founding, and of course, he grew along with the school. Our current Office Administrator began as a volunteer in those early days. Although one of the original Society members did get hired part-time in the sixth year, I was only able to hire another full-time teacher in the ninth year. 

Being only one person who handled all aspects of the school meant that it grew slowly. Word of mouth is very slow when you are a small organization. Indeed, it wasn’t until the 12th year that I was able to create more part-time positions for other staff. One of those teachers is now our Principal, Karen Harrison. We grew through the marketing that we could afford; we rented new space as we gained students; and we settled into a pattern of having an average of 60 students over the past 25 years. We had four administrators—a Director, a Principal, an Office Administrator and a Bookkeeper. And I will say that it took all of our energy to run the school at that size.

The early years were wonderful for many reasons, the primary ones being that I was able to teach in the way I believed was best, and I developed close and happy relationships with my students. I ran the school for eight years on my own. During this time, I not only taught the children from ages 4 through 14 in a vertical age-grouping, but I also organized the materials, advertising, bookkeeping and finances, Alberta Education reports, parent contacts and space requirements. This was a time of high learning for me in a variety of new fields. I welcomed the opportunity to develop the school in a holistic and gentle way—slowly. It was truly my experiment with this type of schooling, with the children being my constant guides, as they responded to me with honest, open, and trusting feedback. Since the educational method was, right from the beginning, a Self-Directed Learning model, their interests led our activities. I was closely, and excitedly, watching every tiny bit of evidence regarding the efficacy of this approach. I lived my life in fascination, and I savoured every bit of my experience. Also, since I believed in a small teacher-student ratio, I was able to give each of them personal instruction that led to academic growth. I loved teaching them to read and write, and their poetry and fiction enchanted me. This was a beautiful time, being able to watch my students grow in their creativity and confidence, their time management and productivity, and their engagement. We went on so many field trips!  We felt free to explore places and materials and activities. Throughout it all, we developed a social responsiveness that was warm and caring and familial. I could see that this kind of educational approach worked—the children learned voraciously and without fear or competition. They were independent learners who felt visible and lived in social peace. They followed their curiosity through eager exploration. For them, in their own words, the opposite of “work” was “rest.” What a healthy attitude!

My challenges partly stemmed from the independence with which I had to bring this school about. I was extremely self-motivated to carry out all the aspects that were necessary to its existence and growth. This burning desire was probably the single most important ingredient needed to overcome the challenges of having to do everything by myself.  Indeed, at times it felt lonely, and daunting. Nevertheless, I knew that what I was proposing and doing required a single vision, and I didn’t know any other teachers who shared exactly that. I wanted to experience this vision of education long enough to deeply understand its practical form. Once I had operated long enough to know the crucial underlying necessary values and practices, then I was ready to include others in the venture. Parents came first, as I had some parent volunteers. They already knew what I was trying to accomplish. Then, as the numbers grew, I added other teachers, part-time first, and then full-time. 

Other challenges centered around the small size of the school, primarily financial ones. Being a private school, our grants were much smaller than those given to public schools, and so we had to charge tuition. This limited attendance and lowered salaries. I sacrificed financially to begin and run this school, and that is an understatement. I was willing to sacrifice for what I believed in. It turned out that, for years, the teachers had to sacrifice financially, too. That was a challenge in itself. 

Throughout the years, I also faced the difficult task of explaining to parents, in our culture of large schools, that there is a better way of educating children. I did not have the support of a familiar name, like Montessori, or Waldorf, to offer to a questioning public. By now, though, I have had more than four decades of experience in providing Self-Directed Learning, and I fully realize the enormous ramifications of offering this exceptional type of schooling—in the areas of skill development, academic pleasure, social “soft” skills, emotional intelligence, autonomy, communication, and negotiation. I have explored the myriad of benefits offered by this school, and yet, it is still challenging to present the case to parents who are only familiar with conventional, “normal” schooling, even if their children are unhappy in those schools. This is a challenge of public relations. For me, marketing is simply telling people the truth of who we are and what we do. As we attempt our new growth phase, this is a crucial opportunity for me. I have always had to learn skills beyond the degrees I took at university. I am engaged in life-long learning, and that is a challenge, even when I live “in the zone” all the time.  

The reason that I chose to create a private school, rather than become an alternative school under a public board, was that at that time, an alternative program within the public system, the Logos School, was discontinued. Consequently, I thought, “I am not going to put all of my effort into creating a school, only to have someone else decide to end its existence.” Therefore, I approached Alberta Education to establish a private school. That government department was very helpful, very respectful, and very supportive. When I went to the first Principals Meeting, it was held around a board room table with Alberta Education officials. We were the second private school in Calgary, after Strathcona Tweedsmuir. 

Since 1979, many other private schools have been established in the Calgary area. In addition, many charter schools appeared. Charter schools began under Premier Ralph Klein, in an era when many parents were questioning traditional schooling. He could have just invited them to start their own private school, but there was enough discontent that it could have created complaints about their having to pay tuition for these choices. So, he chose to establish charter schools, that differed from private schools in two major ways: whereas private schools existed directly under Alberta Education, charter schools would exist under a public board. This meant that they had to prove to that board that their school was different enough to merit existence. The other difference was that private schools could be religious. Many, indeed, were, but many were not—ours included. Otherwise, both charter schools and private schools have the same obligations: to have certificated teachers, to follow the provincial curriculum, to have inspections from Alberta Education and to have their students write provincial exams. However, the result of the only two differences was that the charter schools were fully funded, and private schools were not. As private schools, we only receive, at this time, around 40% of the funding per child that public schools receive. Nevertheless, the number of parents choosing private schools for their children has doubled over the past 20 years, to about 6% of the provincial student population. I have observed more Calgary parents wanting to choose the environment for their children to receive their education at school. Some remember unhappy experiences of their own in large, impersonal institutions where they felt invisible and unsupported. They want their children to have a better experience in school.

On November 1st of 2022, our school turned 43 years old. A 43rd Anniversary of anything at all is unusual enough to be celebrated. Not many people pursue their life work in one place for this long. Mind you, Banbury Crossroads is not really a place. It is more like an idea that exists beyond place. It all began with books. Books are composed entirely of ideas. I was fascinated by the works of authors such as A. S. Neill, John Holt, Mary Brown and Norman Precious (Open Classroom practitioners), Sylvia Ashton-Warner, Neil Postman, and later, Alfie Kohn. As a result of this inspiration from others, the ideas at the core of Banbury Crossroads evolved. As a result, Banbury Crossroads is the embodiment of a philosophy, and it is worth noting that this philosophy has existed pretty much intact since its beginning in 1979. 

Some of the writing I did, before I even opened the doors to my first two students on November 1st of that year, still exists in our brochures and other policies and documents. As a result of our intensely evaluated involvement with implementing this philosophy, there are now reasons behind every single thing we do. And when new ideas and changes come about, it is because some new reason points to the need for it. What has been happening all this time has been the expression and experimentation and experience of those ideas, until they provided proof that the ideas actually work. They became reality, not merely beliefs or dreams. 

I have noticed over the past twenty years that whenever we have a large celebration, and we demonstrate this proof through projecting upon the wall the thousands of photographs taken over the years, all night long, people notice something curiously remarkable. No matter the year, no matter the students, and no matter the teachers…think about this…certain realities show up consistently. It is due to our philosophy, our vision. The realities displayed are clear. One is our intention to meet the needs of individuals, including their liberty—to develop autonomy, and the freedom of initiative and decision making, combined with self-responsibility. 

Another persistent reality is our capitalization on students’ innate curiosity to produce intense engagement in their learning activities. Another crucial reality is our focus on the need for individuals to honoor the rights of others—this basic core of mutual respect creates authentic and meaningful relationships, the ability to engage in reciprocal problem solving, and joy. Another is our focus on giving children visibility and nurturance to produce excellence in learning outcomes, self-awareness and emotional intelligence. 

People often comment, “The kids were happy!” All of these consistent realities are rare! Especially joy. Joy takes the precondition of trust, and trust only comes when mutual respect, kindness and empathy are present; in large school settings, this is difficult to achieve. But then, Banbury Crossroads is both small in overall size, and in class size. In all aspects of its very nature, we create the conditions for joy to flourish. And learning while in an emotional state of joy is deeply embedded in the learner. So yes, the initial vision is intact.

This leads me to the question of how we have chosen to fulfill our vision…in other words, our methods. The first one is our Self-Directed Learning (SDL) model, which creates individuals who must show resourcefulness, self-regulation, respect, consideration, kindness, and self-responsibility. Emphasizing experiential and real-world learning wholly serves the SDL model.

Our foundational principle of mutual respect is exhibited in allowing our students to work where they are really at—which means that we must group them vertically, rather than horizontally, so that they will not be penalized by being either ahead or behind their age cohorts. Vertical grouping means that we must use a tutorial, student-paced approach, rather than a lecture-based, teacher-paced approach. Since we do this, we must have small numbers per teacher, and this is one of our most special features—our ratio of 8 to 10 students per class. Teachers have time to devote to satisfying the academic, emotional and social needs of each student.

Indeed, there have been many times when I have noticed that some people stop listening to my spiel about the school after they hear about its small size. That’s all they needed to hear. They may skip over other crucial philosophical aspects, because at the core of it, our small size is what they want. It is one of our most rare and amazing qualities. Having 8 to 10 students per class is extremely unusual in all the world. And if we pair our size with our Self-Directed Learning focus, we are doubly rare. A number of other practices are outgrowths of these educational intentions. We enable students to engage in flexible scheduling and personalized programming, an interactive learning environment, a collaborative teaching environment, authentic assessment, continuous progress and mastery learning. What we are doing here is astounding in the world of schooling. 

Although the vision and basic methods have not changed over the years, the major thing that has changed is the amount of extensive experience we have gathered—we now are confident that this vision, and these methods, are effective and efficient. We fully realize that this is a most excellent way to guide and conduct schooling for our youth. We also appreciate the sense of community that emerges from working together, and collaboratively carrying our inspiration into action, to make all of this happen. This began as one person gaining ideas from others, then turning around and inspiring more teachers, parents and students. The spread of inspiration has led to what occurs here now, every day, and it is extraordinary. 

I just love it! Every day for 43 years, I have loved watching young people explore the real world around them, and explore their talents and interests within them, as they grow and morph into young adults with bright and eager eyes. Their new skills and knowledge suffuse them with self-confidence and a quiet sense of dignity. They naturally want to contribute to this fascinating world that—actually—very much needs their passion and persistence and problem solving. These students’ early experiences of caring mentorship and nurturance lead to the optimism that defines a “happy childhood.” Just today, I saw children dance with abandon and unself-consciousness to our early Friday morning music. Every day, young ones skip down the hallway, and older ones come to realize that they are safe here to interact comfortably and respectfully. We are giving our youth the opportunity to develop social and emotional intelligence in a supportive environment where they are acknowledged as individuals. We encourage them to empower themselves through rational and moral analysis and decision-making. Our students learn through both success and failure; they grow resilient. I believe that this is a healthy way for young people to experience their schooling.

I am the guardian of this opportunity, fully devoted to providing this setting for young people to pursue their education. I want this opportunity to continue on beyond my lifetime. So, on this 43rd Anniversary, I am celebrating. I knew from the beginning that I was in this for the long term, but I must tell you that I feel a great deal of satisfaction to realize that this endeavour has suffused my entire adult life with a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment. I know that what is happening here is good, by any definition. I am also aware that my actions have actually mattered in significant ways to all of the students and teachers and parents who have participated in this great venture. I have had to be very accountable. I have had to be humble and patient, yet courageous. Moreover, in empowering students and teachers to show initiative, I am aware of their individual power, as well as my own.

I have been happy to realize that I actually created the environment within which I work. Every teacher here is in the same position. Every student here creates their own life. I feel very proud that we are a group of people living with self-awareness, and an internal locus of control. Everyone in this community needs to be keenly aware of the relationship between cause and effect, which assists our ability to predict consequences and act with wisdom. I see every one of us demonstrating a powerful sense of hope for the future, since we are all creating that future every single day. Cheers! Let us celebrate!

It has been quite a journey since Banbury’s beginning in 1979, and our journey is still ongoing. I am grateful and delighted that my son, Liam, is here for his second year as Managing Director! He graduated from Banbury Crossroads, and he knows from experience what this school offers students. Liam is passionately resolved to ensure that Banbury Crossroads will exist past my lifetime, and far into the future. Now, having achieved three university degrees, including two master’s degrees, he is very suitable to expanding the business aspects of this school. Indeed, his presence here is very fortuitous for the future of Banbury Crossroads School. The multifaceted load of running a school is getting shared as we get bigger, and as we expand what we can offer to our students. I am also happy to share this endeavour with a multitude of students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and administrative staff. Indeed, we are set to grow. We would like to double our student population over the next two years. We will be designing our growth to maintain our core practice of having 8 to 10 students per teacher—we will simply double the number of teachers and enable them to work in teams to deliver curricular objectives to our vertically-grouped students. We will maintain this grouping because it allows for the development of trust and leadership, it spreads out the needs of specific age groups and individuals, and it promotes the growth of social and emotional intelligence. Our method of growth is very simple.

We are all working together to create the happiest Self-Directed Learning school in existence!

There is so much to say…too much for here. I am writing a book about that—about the experiences that have taught me so much about children, and people in general, and effective and efficient processes that lead to learning. I have seen and understood much about the connection between schooling and the way that our society exists. I have hopes that schooling students in this way can lead to more positive outcomes for individuals and the culture they live in. And I am learning the tremendous value of this school, and the need to ensure that it achieves the goal of continuing its work for many years to come. The children of the future need this school as much as the children of today. Who knows? Perhaps it will inspire others to conduct learning in this way. That is our hope, and that is why we chose a lighthouse as our symbol. We are earnestly shining light upon the topic of schooling, for all the world to see.

When I peruse the thousands of photographs taken over the years of the school’s existence, I am also remembering my life’s moments. I have thousands of significant, poignant, exciting and tender memories. One stand-out memory was when I was granted a Woman of Vision Award in December of 2010, by Global TV and the YWCA. This event acknowledged my effort and passion and never-ending persistence. It affected me in a similar way as did my participation in one of the Haskayne School of Business’s marketing courses, where I delivered a presentation to over a hundred students, and thereafter toured them around the school and made formal written comments to their marketing plans. At both of these times, I realized that the school had achieved historical inertia, and I was very satisfied about that. I very much want students to have the option of experiencing schooling this way.

I also remember going home after a June picnic at Bowness Park, where the younger students were given their acknowledgement awards, and the graduates gave speeches beyond the ones they were preparing to give at their actual graduation. My son was part of that public, yet vulnerable, sharing of individual triumph. The park was sparkling green after a rain, and the graduates in their black gowns walking through the trees looked like coal-black birds. I drove home through the spring fields near my home and thought, “I love my life!” I have offered my professional life to my students and teachers and parents; the school has offered to me usefulness and joy, connection and fulfillment.