What makes John Holt’s contributions to learning and educational reform so useful is that his whole approach was grounded in humility. He was a keen observer — always watching the action on at least two levels — and he constantly experimented and learned from his failures. But it was humility that allowed him to see that small children learn naturally and that teaching that talks down to them will inevitably make them stupid.
These two books have been changing educators since they appeared in the 1960s. Each was significantly expanded in a revised edition in the 1980s. The additions are set off in indented type and provide a gloss on the original text that amplifies and deepens the insights.
