Reading several documents from the early history of Francis W. Parker School and an essay by John Dewey entitled "The Need for a Philosophy of Education" helps the author's students gain some precision in defining what otherwise remain rather loosely held opinions about the core values of the school. For most of the students, these documents prompted their first examination of what a Francis W. Parker School education is about. For many of them, the chief concern was the stark contrast between the vision of the founders and the practice of the institution they have attended. But is that really true? Do the ideals of the school's founders survive at best only as slogans, or have current teachers understood, applied, and transformed those ideals? To answer this question, the author asks his students to choose a grade or a subject that they want to look at more closely and then write a paper that includes a reflection on at least one of the texts they have been reading and a speculation on what they expect to see in the grade or subject they have chosen. This article presents some essays the students have made in response to this assignment. Out from this assignment, the students discover things about their school, and they also learn a little about themselves as learners. (Contains 25 footnotes.)