On the surface ["Teacher"] is a record of Miss Ashton-Warner's 24 years in an "Infant (elementary) School" for Maori and white children in New Zealand. Yet it is more than that—a vivid journal of incidents, personalities, sudden moments of insight, and a philosophy of education which emerges through reflection upon experiences. It should have great value not only for those interested in the problems of education in old cultures and new nations, but also for those concerned with the future of civilization—for all anywhere who live and work with children. (p. 1)

Miss Ashton-Warner's book … carries implications that reach far beyond the classroom, for she is one of those teachers convinced that education must learn—and learn quickly—how to take its part in enabling the young of each generation to grow in their understanding of the forces in human society which determine civilization's future….

"When a war...