John Holt

INTRODUCTION: This page is offered to honor the unschooling/ homeschooling hero John Holt. From his earliest work, Escape from Childhood, through his final books, including Learning All the Time, Holt demonstrated a thorough commitment and passion to the freedom of young people from societal norms which trap children and youth in an eternal infancy. Offered here is a choice selection of his work, highlighting his contribution to social change by and with young people.

POINT TO PONDER:

Escape from Childhood - (1974, 1981) A powerful sketch of imagination about the liberation of young people from adult-dominated, youth-demonized society. Holt identifies many of the sources of children's oppression and proposes radical alternatives, including plans for children's educational, familial, economic, and political freedom.

How Children Learn - (1967, 1983, 1985) "Children do not need to be made to learn," Holt maintains, because each is born with what Einstein called "the holy curiosity of inquiry." For them, learning is as natural as breathing. How Children Learn has become a classic for parents and teachers, providing an "effective, gentle voice of reason" (Life).

How Children Fail - (1964, 1982, 1985) this book has helped two generations of parents and teachers understand what actually happens in the classroom. Holt's astute observation of children, his clear simple style, and his lifelong conviction that we can do better by our children make How Children Fail an enduring classic. 

What Do I Do Monday? - (1970, 1995) A wonderful book about teaching young children the basics; reading, writing and math. Where "How Children Learn" and "How Children Fail" developed a philosophy of education, this volume details how Mr. Holt put his philosophy to work in the classroom. Full of descriptions of actual exercises you can try with kids, either in school or at home, that encourage learning without sacrificing creativity or future problem solving abilities. If you're looking for more theory on education, pass this one up for now. But if you're ready to apply some of the insights of a brilliant thinker and observer of children, read this book, and be prepared to take notes.

Learning All the Time - Unschooling cannot be attained through recipes of course, since every child and family is different. But Holt thoughtfully and sensitively manages to share his devotions and insights about learning, children and life in general so clearly that even the most hesitant parent can gain confidence in his and her child's ability to unschool. The book is a collection of essays about many facets of learning and educational subjects (the three R's, science, music). Holt's profound observations help not only to understand how children tackle these subjects but also to gain a better understanding of these subjects ourselves.

A Life Worth Living: The Selected Letters of John Holt

Teach Your Own: A New and Hopeful Path for Education - A new edition of the home education classic. First published in 1981, Teach Your Own has helped thousands of people from all over the world to start homeschooling. This edition omits just three chapters which dealt with homeschooling laws in North America; now that homeschooling is legal throughout Canada and the US this information is outdated. However, the timeless insights into how children learn that Holt writes, and his perspective on homeschooling as being completely different from just school at home, make this book more timely, useful, and important than ever.

The Underachieving School. - (1969).

Freedom and Beyond - (1972, 1995).

Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things Better - (1976, 2003).

Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story - (1978, 1991).

Teach Your Own: A Hopeful Path for Education - (1981) also called Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling - (2003).

Learning All the Time: How small children begom to read. write, count, and investigate the world, without begin taught - (1989, 1990).