Neill believes that the average child is not born a cripple, a coward, or asoulless automaton, but has full potentialities to love life and to beinterested in life. Summerhill emphasizes that children do not need teaching asmuch as they need love and understanding. They need approval and freedom to benaturally good. "It is the genuinely strong and loving parent who has themost power to give children freedom to be good" (Neill, 1960).
As with the humanistic perspective, Neill stressed that the parent and/oreducator of a child must ask three important questions when teaching thechild.
1. Have I shown real approval of my/the child in a genuine manner? [
2. Have I shown trust in him or her, even though I may disagree with hisor her thoughts or actions? [unconditionalpositive regard]
3. Have I shown sincere understanding? [
Thus, if a parent and/or educator adopts the belief that each and every child isborn with the capacity to be good, then parents and educators will foster alearning environment. As Neill (1960) states, "Children do not so much loveas they want to be loved. To every child, adult approval means love; whereasdisapproval means hate…Hence I say that the first essential in any schoolis the chance of social approval." The long and short of it is that, if youbelieve that each child is innately good, then you must approve of the child ashe or she is. An educator or parent needs to realize that the child isinherently good in his or her own image, not in yours.