Remembering John Holt, by Pat Farenga, President of John Holt: Growing Without Schooling (GWS) Organization
John Holt My friend and mentor, John Holt, passed away 35 years ago on Sept. 14, 1985, and his legacy continues to grow as homeschooling increases around the world. I estimate there were perhaps 50,000 children being taught at home in the United States in 1985; then, most people thought homeschooling was crazy or something of a last resort to do with your children. In 2020, it is estimated at least 175 million children are being homeschooled in the United States. In light of the pandemic, homeschooling is something every parent is probably considering. In the first edition of Teach Your Own, John concluded: “What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children’s growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools, but that it isn’t a school at all. It is not an artificial place, set up to make “learning” happen and in which nothing except “learning” ever happens. It is a natural, organic, central, fundamental human institution, one might easil