John Caldwell Holt (April 14, 1923 - September 14, 1985) was an American author and educator, one of the best known proponents of homeschooling, and a pioneer in youth rights theory. April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Thomas Edison attended compulsory school for only three months, after which he was taught at home by his mother and a tutor. ... Youth rights refers to a set of philosophies intended to enhance civil rights for young people. ...

Soon after his graduation from university, Holt joined the United States Navy and served on board the USS Barbero, a submarine that fought in the Pacific Ocean. During the war he came to the conclusion that nuclear weapons were the world's greatest danger, and only a world government could prevent nuclear war. After his three-year tour of duty, he got a job with the New York branch of the United World Federalists. Starting in the mail room, he became the executive director of the New York branch within six years. However, he became frustrated with the group's ineffectiveness, and he left the organization in 1952. A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... USS Barbero (SS/A/G-317) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for a family of fishes commonly called surgeon fish. ... HMS Vanguard, a Vanguard-class nuclear ballistic missile (SSBN) submarine HMCS Windsor, a Victoria-class diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarine HMAS Rankin, a Collins-class diesel-electric guided missile (SSG) submarine USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... The United World Federalists was an organization active in the 1940s and 1950s with the goal of creating a world federated government. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

At the urging of his sister, Holt became a teacher. After several years of teaching in Colorado, he moved to Boston. It was here that he met Bill Hull, a fellow teacher, and they decided to start a classroom observation project; one would teach, while the other would watch. The notes and journals entries Holt accumulated during his first eleven years of teaching formed the core of his two popular books How Children Fail and How Children Learn, as well as his less-known and more radical work, Escape from Childhood: The Rights and Needs of Children. These three books detailed the foundational ideas of Holt's philosophy of education. He held that the primary reason children did not learn in schools was fear: fear of getting the wrong answers, fear of being mocked by the teacher and classmates, fear of not being good enough. This was worsened, he maintained, by children being forced to study things that they were not necessarily interested in. A teachers room in a Japanese middle school, 2005. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269 837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Boston is a town and small port c. ... American high school students in a school A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ...

After many years of working within the school system, Holt became disillusioned with it. He became convinced that reform of the school system was not possible because it was fundamentally flawed. Thus, he became an advocate of homeschooling. It was not helpful, however, to simply remove children from the school environment if parents simply re-created it at home. Holt believed that children did not need to be coerced into learning; they would do so naturally if given the freedom to follow their own interests and a rich assortment of resources. This line of thought became known as unschooling. Thomas Edison attended compulsory school for only three months, after which he was taught at home by his mother and a tutor. ... Unschooling (also sometimes referred to as natural learning, child-led learning, discovery learning, autodidactic learning, or child-directed learning) is the term that means being responsible for your own education. ...

In 1977, Holt founded the nation's first homeschooling magazine, Growing Without Schooling and started John Holt's Bookstore. In 1977, John Holt founded the nations first homeschooling magazine, Growing Without Schooling (GWS). ...

In addition to favouring home schooling, Holt also espoused many of the principles now taken up by the Youth rights movement, including eliminating the voting age and allowing young people to sign contracts and obtain employment. Youth rights refers to a set of philosophies intended to enhance civil rights for young people. ...

The writing of John Holt has influenced thousands of individuals and organizations, including Summerhill School, The Evergreen State College, National Youth Rights Association, and The Freechild Project. Summerhill School Summerhill School, founded in 1921 in Hellerau near Dresden, England by A.S. Neill. ... The Evergreen State College wordmark The Evergreen State College is an accredited public baccalaureate college, founded in 1967 in the state capital, Olympia, Washington. ... NYRA logo The National Youth Rights Association is the largest Youth Rights group in the United States, with several thousand members. ... The Freechild Project logo The Freechild Project (or Freechild) is an international non-governmental organization founded in August 2001 in Olympia, Washington, USA by community organizing activists from the youth voice, youth-led media, and youth rights communities. ...

Bibliography

• How Children Fail
• How Children Learn
• The Underachieving School
• What Do I Do Monday?
• Freedom and Beyond
• Escape From Childhood
• Instead of Education
• Never Too Late
• Teach Your Own
• Learning All the Time (1989)
• A Life Worth Living, letters of John Holt, edited by Susannah Sheffer

External links

• Wikiquote - Quotes by John Holt
• Holt GWS site has good information, including an interview with Holt by Mel Allen
• Book excerpt: Common Objections to Homeschooling
• Article: The Needs and Rights of Children: Steps to Take