The School by the Cornfield

What if homeschooling were outlawed? It once was in the United States. Private schools, using teachers not certified by the state, were outlawed as well.

This book is about a small private school, supported by local plain farmers, which continued to operate.

Faced by a daunting array of local officials, and finally by command appearances every evening before the Justice of the Peace, the farmers pled their case in a “higher court.” They argued that before God, they stood personally responsible for the proper education of their children.

Both sides gathered supporters, who often brought personal agendas with them. Eventually, the matter of the little school seized national attention.

Who was right? What was the outcome of the stand taken by the little school? Read this charming children’s book, carefully footnoted for adult readers, to learn the outcome, and to ponder again your own opinions on this subject.