There's a little-known school in Halifax that kids are excited to attend every day, right through until they graduate. It's a place where they absorb "real-world" skills, including critical thinking, and complex literacy, math and second-language abilities, so that they stick. They gather for intense, whole-school discussions on local issues, create art using geometric calculations, and dig into the school garden while learning about the biology of the native plant garden — all in one typical week. Over forty years, the Halifax Independent School has developed an approach to education that reflects the ideas of leading educators but follows no set formula. It offers parents and educators a vision of what schools could be like right across the country. In this account of "the best school in the world," readers will find ideas big and small for how Canadian schools could do a better job of engaging, challenging and educating their students.

Molly Hurd's perspectives on education have been developed out of her wide variety of teaching experiences in northern Quebec, rural Nova Scotia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Britain. She was a teacher and head teacher at Halifax Independent School for twenty years. She believes passionately that keeping children's natural love of learning alive throughout their school years is the best thing a school can do for its students.

Molly Hurd's profile page

"Small schools like Halifax Independent deserve the kind of exposure and attention found in Hurd's personal testament. When students regularly proclaim that HIS is the 'best school in the world!', it is worthy of further investigation."

Saint Mary's University

"Important for some kids to read to realize they are not alone."

Librarian

"Written in a style that is articulate and accessible, Best School in the World is a gift that teachers, administrators and parents would be well advised to read."

Dalhousie University

"I would like to congratulate Molly Hurd on her accomplishments as an educational author and for her contribution to the provincial and national discourse on how to create schools that excel at engaging, challenging, and educating students."

HON. Gary Burill

"The story is captivating as the reader will find things that are infuriating as well as uplifting."

Resource Links

"An excellent book and resource for anyone needing a smile."

Educator