When the school was set up at Takeley, the founding Church was very much influenced by the teachings of the early Friends or Quakers, as they came to be known. John Woolman was seen as an inspiration for the school.
From him we learned;
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To treasure the child’s character and not spoil it by rewarding ungodliness; directing the child to do their best because they were loved by God and training them to secretly build treasure in Heaven. We would add here that we believe that this is all done within the context of valuing the child and in an atmosphere of their affirmation, which is not explicit in the text.
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The careful selection of families and teachers with clearly shared values was important
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That teachers should not be overburdened with tasks external to the actual face to face teaching of the children
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The importance of securing benefactors for the school so that the work would not be a burden to families
It would be honest to say that we have made many mistakes and it would have been wise to have considered Woolman’s inspiration more closely, especially in the care of our teachers and the seeking out of benefactors but our God is a God of Restoration and Reformation.
I hope you enjoy reading the beautiful prose of this early American Friend.
