John Caldwell Holt (1923–85) was an American educator, author, and homeschooling advocate, particularly for the unschooling movement. His critiques of traditional education reshaped discussions on child-centered learning and self-directed education.
Born in New York City, Holt graduated from Yale University (1943) with a degree in industrial engineering. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he worked with the United World Federalists before transitioning to teaching. His experiences in elementary classrooms led him to question conventional schooling, inspiring How Children Fail (1964,) which argued traditional education stifles curiosity and creativity. He followed with How Children Learn (1967,) emphasizing informal learning.
By the 1970s, Holt became a leading homeschooling advocate, believing children learn best when free to explore their interests. He founded Growing Without Schooling (1977) to support homeschooling families. His later works, including Escape from Childhood (1974,) Teach Your Own (1981,) and Learning All the Time (1989,) further developed his philosophy.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by John Holt
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. … What we can best learn from good teachers is how to teach ourselves better.
—John Holt
People should be free to find or make for themselves the kinds of educational experience they want their children to have.
—John Holt
Topics: Education
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, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.
—John Holt
Topics: Knowledge
The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.
—John Holt
Topics: Behavior, Ignorance, Character
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