“I doubt very much if it is possible to teach anyone to understand anything, that is to say, to see how various parts of it relate to all the other parts, to have a model of the structure in one's… — John Holt Copy Share Image
“When children are very young, they have natural curiosities about the world and explore them, trying diligently to figure out what is real. As… — John Holt Copy Share
The idea of painless, nonthreatening coercion is an illusion. Fear is the inseparable companion of coercion, and its inescapable consequence. If you think it… — John Holt Copy Share
“Fear, boredom, and resistance--they all go to make what we call stupid children.” — John Holt Copy Share
Schools assume that children are not interested in learning and are not much good at it, that they will not learn unless made to,… — John Holt Copy Share
“John, if you ever get a family, there’s one thing you should know. No matter how well you get along with your children when… — John Holt Copy Share
It is hard not to feel that there must be something very wrong with much of what we do in school, if we feel… — John Holt Copy Share
“Why do they do this? Because it gives them a license to act like tyrants and to feel like saints. “Do what I tell… — John Holt Copy Share
Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead,… — John Holt Copy Share
“Leaders are not, as we are often led to think, people who go along with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go… — John Holt Copy Share
People should be free to find or make for themselves the kinds of educational experience they want their children to have. — John Holt Copy Share
“Someone asked the other day, "Why do we go to school?" Pat, with vigor unusual in her, said, "So when we grow up we… — John Holt Copy Share
“I doubt very much if it is possible to teach anyone to understand anything, that is to say, to see how various parts of… — John Holt Copy Share
