SANCTUARY OF SCHOOL LYNDA BARRY
“Sanctuary of School” is an autobiographical essay by Lynda Barry. The essay appears in Barry’s collection What It Is and reflects on her childhood experiences with poverty, family instability, fear, and imagination. Barry is best known as a cartoonist, writer, and teacher whose work frequently explores memory, creativity, childhood, and the ways people survive difficult circumstances. In “Sanctuary of School,” she argues that school provided something far more important than academic instruction: it offered safety, stability, and hope. The essay is both a personal narrative and a broader reflection on the role schools can play in children’s lives. SUMMARY Barry begins by describing a difficult childhood marked by family conflict, instability, and emotional hardship. Home was often a place of uncertainty and fear rather than comfort. Against this backdrop, school became a refuge. The routines of the school day, the presence of caring adults, and the predictable structure of classrooms provided a sense of security that was often missing elsewhere in her life.