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Energy aplenty remains for games, dancing, painting, play-acting and frequent debates. One recent subject: "Does God exist?" To East's surprise, God won—by one vote.
"There is something about these children," says one satisfied mother. "There is honesty and kind directness. They don't dissemble or try to be adults. And they don't giggle." The kids themselves are passionately loyal to their offbeat school. "When I left," says one old girl, "I just couldn't find anything to talk about to other kids. They didn't think about anything."
East does not seek accreditation by the Ministry of Education, but government inspectors frequently check his school, as the law requires. Says one inspector, laconically: "Parents have a right to send their children to any school they like so long as it provides adequate teaching. This is a free country."