School of Two Thousand Smiles–Preface

I started this, my fourth novel, 'School of Two Thousand Smiles,' as a sequel to my novel A New World of Hope. I hope the reader is interested in re-creating our schools so they become havens of safety, nurturing and warmth that students know they are cared for and wanted.

I hope my words convey the ideas for a school that is a caring and happy place for children aged 5 to 12, as well as its staff and administrators. Teachers and maintenance staff genuinely care and enjoy spending time with kids. The staff know each other by their first names. Their main challenge is convincing kids to stay home when sick.

In the last half of the 20^th century. after the Great Depression and WWII, an increasing number of women began working outside the home, either because they needed to cover family living expenses or because they wished to pursue a career.

Many families consisted of one parent, usually the mother, caring for the children in the family. Increasingly, the home ceased being a safe center and haven for the children. Child care was 'farmed out'. the number of divorces during this time increased, as did the children who felt anxious, depressed, and even committed suicide. Children did not see school as a haven of creativity, learning, enjoyment, and a place where they were wanted.

Too often staff, especially teachers, continued to believe that students need to be 'made' to learn rather than enjoy the learning process. I agree with those educators who believe that children naturally enjoy learning as long as they are engaged in the process. And, especially, they enjoy being with their peers and with teachers who encourage them rather than insist that they obey and conform to whatever the 'superior', aka adults, tell them to 'learn' and do. Children prefer cooperation and resent conformity.

In my school the children enjoy starting the day with 20 to 30 minutes of singing and dancing, with everyone in the school participating, including parents and grandparents. They enjoy creating and being with their new family-like cohort and the facilitator. Where they can discuss with others and their papa-like adult 'tator', and everything said is kept confidential. Everyone believes that people, big and little, are naturally good and loving beings.

Prepare to meet Ella, Danny, and their extraordinary fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Sam, as they embark on an unforgettable adventure at the School of Two Thousand Smiles.

Don Hanley