Three types of media for you to enjoy: The slides, bibliography, and videos from my recent talk about how parents of preschool-age children can best help them learn; a new video about Holt's Learning All the Time; and a synchronized update of my slides and video, Homeschooling and Unschooling, presented at the Alternatives to Compulsory Schooling conference at Harvard University in April 2013.
Read MoreAfter outlining the general issues the March 7, 2014, Congressional Quarterly Researcher report looks in depth at three key questions:
1. Should governments oversee home schooling more strictly?
2. Is home schooling academically superior to public schooling?
3. Can home schooling help the public school system?
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"You don’t learn to love freedom by being a slave." This and many other juicy quotes by John Holt and author/psychologist Richard Farson are in this interview from 1974 about children's rights. Read about the interview and listen to it here . . .
Read MoreThis is the complete episode of John Holt and two homeschooling families contending with a fairly hostile audience (one person is so mean in their comments about one of the homeschooled children that Donahue cuts her off!). Though it is from 1981, I think all the criticisms, responses, and issues are pretty much the same today despite the continued growth of homeschooling. What do you think?
Read MoreAlison Gopnick's research into how children learn supports so many of the observations John Holt wrote about, especially his chapter from Learning All the Time, "Young Children as Research Scientists."
Here's a short ad for The Legacy of John Holt using a great moment from Holt's second appearance on The Donahue Show, when Phil Donahue asks John to respond, in one sentence, how schools could be better.
Read MoreSpecial Promotion for Kindle Readers.
From Saturday, October 12 until midnight Monday October 14, download The Legacy of John Holt: A Man Who Truly Understood, Trusted, and Respected Children for FREE (normally $9.99).
Read MoreCarlo and I finally published this book! I think it was worth the wait and I hope you'll agree. Pat Farenga talks about the creation of this book and Holt's legacy and work this Friday, August 23, 11AM, at the free, online global Homeschooling Conference.
This inaugural conference is our attempt to bring together as many groups and people who have a genuine interest in helping children learn in their own ways and schedules, rather than forcing children to learn what economists, politicians, and educators have decided they should know at any given age. Steve Hargadon and I have created this event rather quickly this year, but we decided we had to give it a shot and bring it to life on our own rather than continue to wait for sponsorship and the perfect moment . . .
Read MoreMary Leue writes about the new book, The Legacy of John Holt, and reminds us of the very touching tribute the Finn girls provided in GWS 49: "It is the best memorial tribute to John Holt I have ever heard, and never fails to move me to tears!"
Read excerpts from the soon-to-be published new book about the life and influence of John Holt: The Legacy of John Holt: A Man Who Genuinely Understood, Trusted, and Respected Children.
Read MoreEducation and Consumerism: Have schools confused being a consumer with being a citizen? Ivan Illich wrote, "The existence of schools produces the demand for schooling. Once we have learned to need school, all our activities tend to take the shape of client relationships to other specialized institutions . . ."
Escape From Childhood is back in print as a paperback for the first time in over 20 years! Plus a preview of the new book The Legacy of John Holt: A Man Who Genuinely Understood, Trusted, and Respected Children.
Volunteers are needed to help work on publishing Holt's Growing Without Schooling as a print and e-book. For your efforts, you will be mentioned in the acknowledgement section of the book . . .
