Remembering John Holt, by Pat Farenga, President of John Holt: Growing Without Schooling (GWS) Organization
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 easily and rightly say the foundation of all other institutions. We can imagine and indeed we have had human societies without schools, without factories, without libraries, museums, hospitals, roads, legislatures, courts, or any of the institutions which see so indispensable and permanent a part of modern life. We might someday even choose, or be obliged, to live once again without some or all of these. But we cannot even imagine a society without homes, even if these should be no more than tents, or mud huts, or holes in the ground. What I am trying to say, in short, is that our chief educational problem is not to find a way to make homes more like schools. If anything, it is to make schools less like schools.”
Inspired by John’s words and actions, the Massachusetts Home Learner’s Association continues to offer help and support to families who want to do something different than full time school with their children. As Holt presciently wrote, the pandemic is making us do without many of the common amenities of society, and it certainly interferes with our social abilities. However, as the pandemic continues and conventional schooling remains hobbled, people are coming up with their own solutions, including how to keep children and adults socially engaged in positive ways.
MHLA has always understood the value of learning by doing, family bonds, and being part of a larger community beyond one’s home. These values are more important now than ever as Covid-19 continues to spread and our children continue to grow and learn in this new environment. Schooling is not the same as education, and MHLA is a beacon to all Massachusetts residents who seek alternatives to school.
President, www.JohnHoltGWS.com
Free webinars: www.StartingToHomeschool.org
Thank you Pat. John is one of my heroes from the time in the late 1960s when we started alternative schools. I was privileged to meet and speak with him several times. Holden High in Orinda, CA still gives John Holt Awards yearly to students who make outstanding contributions to the life of the school both in and out of school. Thanks for all you do.
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