This article is practically a response of its author to the article of the American researchers published above. Though Dr. Boguslavsky does not only present his opinion and feelings about the American paper but he also elaborates on the topic itself, mostly describing Leo Tolstoy’s activities as the founder of the Yasnaya Polyana school for the village children.

This article introduces the readers to a very famous and a very successful school commune of the 1920s and 1930s, almost forgotten later in the history of education, which was founded and headed by Ignaty Ionin. The author portrays the history of the school’s development and its gradual growth into a true effective educational establishment with such core values as labor, intellectual and creative activities, self-management, and project learning. The article does not only disclose new facts from the school’s life but it also clarifies the reasons for its founder’s success and his life tragedy.