Camphill Special School Research Report
For my research, I looked at the Camphill Special School and sought to find how it serves as an example of a Utopia. The Camphill Special school is a K-12 school dedicated specifically to children with special needs. The school is home to over 80 acres of land and 12 buildings, where the children, teachers, and staff all live and learn together. The Special School is part of the worldwide Camphill Movement, and it is the only Camphill community dedicated specifically to children. The Camphill Movement began in 1940 when Karl Koenig founded the first Camphill School in Aberdeen, Scottland. Koenig was a Jewish man who was forced to flee Austria due to Nazi oppression. During this time, children with special needs were thought of as “subnormal” and uneducable, and therefore it gave the impression that they were less than human. Unfortunately, Koenig knew that in Austria and other countries taken over by the Nazis, this meant that these children would be sent to concentration camps. Koenig wanted to create a safe place for these kids to learn and live together and feel like they belong somewhere. Because of his previous work with special needs children as a doctor, he knew that they were able to learn and be educated if they had people who cared and were dedicated to making that happen.
The Camphill Movement was founded upon the Moravian ideals and principles and models Christian communities that came before. One of the big ideals of the Moravian church was the concept of “brotherhood”, and this is something that is very apparent throughout the many Camphill communities. The Movement sought to create communities were everyone lived together and cared for one another, without poverty and other social issues. No one has there own money or property in these communities, and all are treated as coequals. It’s a simple lifestyle that truly embodies the meaning of community living. Robin Jackson writes, “Like the Moravian Church, the Movement sought to explore and challenge many of the burning issues of the day: the meaning, nature and purpose of community living, accountability, sustainable lifestyles, the elimination of poverty, social justice, personal identity, holistic spirituality, global vision and mission” (Jackson). These ideals of the entire Movement parallel the ideals of a utopia. Each of the 100 plus Camphill communities around the world are their own unique utopia, but all share the same common principles. The Camphill Special School is no exception.
The Camphill Special School is a true community where everyone cares about one another. Its unique in that it’s dedicated to children, but the teachers, doctors, and staff members live with the kids and are part of the community. No one is paid for their work, and they volunteer to live and work at the school because they truly care. One student at the school said, “At my other school I was part of somebody’s job. At Camphill special school I am part of somebody’s life”. I think this quote embodies the feeling of Camphill and the idea that everyone really does care. The teachers are dedicated to helping the students learn, and they are constantly surrounded by support. These are children that otherwise feel like outcasts in society, but at Camphill, they have a place where they belong and can thrive.
Throughout the research process, it became more and more clear that this school is a true utopia. At first, I looked solely at this school and how it parallels the ideals of a utopia. However, after doing more research and discovering the history and the movement as a whole, I realized how the entire Movement has the ideals of a utopia. Although my overall research question was how it is an example of a utopia, there were other specific questions that I sought to answer to enhance my research and support my overall question. I looked at how the Moravian influences and the history contribute to the idea that the community is a utopia. The argumentative journal sources gave me a lot of history and evidence that support my claim that it is a utopia. Although it was difficult for me to find scholarly sources on the Special School, the community website and exhibit sources provided enough information and evidence. The exhibit sources in particular showed first hand the impact of the community and its utopian ideals, whether it be from a student, family member, or teacher.
“Camphill Special School.” Fellowship For Intentional Community. December 31, 1999. Accessed November 19, 2015.
Camphill Special School – Part of Somebody’s Life. Youtube. March 24, 2009. Accessed November 22, 2015.
Jackson, Robin. “The Camphill Movement: The Moravian Dimension.” Journal of Moravian History 5 (2008): 88-100.
Jackson, Robin. “The Origin of Camphill and the Social Pedagogic Impulse.”
Educational Review 63 (February 2011): 95-104.
Prensky, Bill. “Camphill: The Way of My Brother.” ProQuest. 2011.
Thimme, Ginny. “A Class Community Is Formed.” Camphill Special School. March 3, 2015. Accessed November 15, 2015.