By John Holt and Patrick Farenga
Perseus Publishing
www.perseuspublishing.com
11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
800-255-1514
Most homeschoolers have heard of John Holt, who lived from 1923-1985. He loved children, serving as a teacher, and observed children to see how they learn. Based on his observations, he reached conclusions on the way kids learn and healthy ways to foster that learning. He did not feel that real learning took place in classrooms.
Patrick Farenga met Holt while working in a bookstore near Holt's office. At that time, Farenga aspired to be an English teacher. Who could have imagined the journey ahead of him! Farenga began to chat with Holt and became captivated by his ideas. He became challenged to change his perspective from being the teacher to being the one who helped children learn. There is a vast difference here! Farenga went on to befriend Holt and to join him in his mission to help children learn.
Holt wrote many books, including Teach Your Own, which was originally published 1981. After Holt's death in 1985, Farenga continued the work that Holt began. Teach Your Own went out of print in 1996. Farenga felt that it was such an important work that he revised it, and this is the work that was reissued in 2003.
In my interview with Pat Farenga for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, he told me that his biggest rewrites were to the sections involving court cases; Holt cited them to give parents ammunition in the event that their homeschooling was ever challenged. (Thankfully, legal threats are now rare.) What remains is a timeless book about why to homeschool and how to homeschool.
Children have an innate desire to learn. They do it through listening, watching, and talking to others. This book celebrates the fact that a loving family can do a great job of teaching their own! Parental warmth and affection will do more to make an eager learner than large budgets and a professional staff.
Chapters include "Why Take Them Out," "Learning in the World," "Learning Without Teaching," "Learning Difficulties," and "How to Get Started," along with many more. You will get practical information and inspiration in the rewriting of this homeschooling classic.
Product review by Christine Field, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, March 2007
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