Now hiring a visionary, community-minded Director to lead our
democratic K–12 school in Canton, NY

Little River Community School, founded in 1999, has 37 students and is located at Birdsfoot
Farm in Canton, New York. We are seeking a full-time Director who brings both teaching
experience and a deep commitment to democratic education.
About the Role
The Director maintains and communicates the school’s philosophy, provides leadership to
the school community, creates and oversees the budget, fund raises and conducts outreach,
supports students and staff, and serves as a key point of contact for families. The Director
works in a consensus-based environment, facilitating collaboration among students, staff,
and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide vision and leadership consistent with Little River’s mission
• Support and guide teachers through collaboration and consensus
• Oversee operations, budgeting, fundraising, and outreach
• Maintain open communication with students, parents, and board members
• Represent the school in the broader community

Candidate Profile

We seek a leader with teaching experience, a passion for working with children, strong
communication and problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of democratic
education. The ideal candidate will be flexible, patient, reliable, and eager to stay for a
minimum of five years.

Qualifications (The ideal candidate will have all or most of these skills and
experiences)

• Compatible philosophy with Little River’s democratic model
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills
• Team manager experience
• Five or more years of teaching experience
• Excellent communication skills
• Fundraising experience
• Administrative experience and organizational skills
• Master’s degree preferred

Salary & Benefits

• Salary: $40,000 per year
• Benefits: free tuition for one child, health fund, paid holidays, and a supportive
environment with academic freedom
• Work schedule: 7:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. on-site, with additional meetings and events as
needed; reduced workload in June and July; start date August 3

Application Process

More information and an application can be found at https://littleriverschool.org/ . Email
your application, resume, and references to steve@littleriverschool.org. We are taking
applications until February 20, 2026, or until the position is filled.

By Jerry Mintz

The answer to this question has been perplexing me recently.

In the past when the country has had crises and disasters such as World War 1, the great depression, World War 2, the polio epidemic, it has caused people in to come together and unite to solve the problem. But the COVID era and its aftermath has seemed to cause the just the opposite. It has brought out selfishness, discourteousness, meanness, anti-semitism and racial prejudice.

When I am driving it is most obvious to me. It Is as if nobody had ever taken driver’s education: About a quarter of the drivers act as if they are the only important people on the road: They act as if they are pretending to be racecar drivers, although this is far from pretend. I’ve seen people swerving to the passenger lane on the right to pass motorcycles and school busses on curves. I’ve even seen people go into the berm on the right to pass cars, only to be stopped at the next light. At night they keep their lights on bright, although we were told in school never to do that, as if to warn people that they are coming through at any cost. Of course, the accidents and deaths are piling up, both for cars and pedestrians. When I offer to courteously let someone into my lane, it is almost taken in disbelief.

And that’s just driving. A friend who works at a well-known coffee chain says he has to constantly stop students from walking on top of the tables. He doesn’t want to give them water because they immediately use it in water fights, but the chain insists he give it out because they are afraid to be accused of discrimination!

And of course, schools have become even more of a disaster than they were. The modern education system started about 150 years ago with antediluvian roots. There is little evidence it was organized to encourage creativity or responsibility. There is much more evidence that it was created for control and propaganda and to prepare people for factory work and to follow orders. Students and educational pioneers such as Dewey, Montessori, Steiner and A.S. Neill have rebelled against this, but to little avail. Schools are still mostly oppressive to students.

Pre-pandemic most students were able to cope with this. But now it somehow is boring right into them (pun intended). Perhaps family life has disintegrated so much during the pandemic that it no longer offers a shield for children. This may be why there has been such a rise in drug abuse, childhood depression and suicide.

Therefore, this seems to be an opportune time for us who are in the Educational Alternatives community to make sure people know of our existence. It is our obligation to let people know that there is a better way to educate: Children must become empowered learners; creativity and responsibility need to be encouraged. Just doing so for a privileged few is no longer an option.

This is probably an important topic for us to discuss at the upcoming AERO Conference. But prior to that I encourage our readers to send us responses to this essay.