Forced Learning

"Schools, teachers, parents all believe that their job is to make learning happen in children, and that if it happens it is only because they made it happen. I have known parents who became anxious and angry whenever I told them about something their children had done on their own initiative and for their own reasons. These people, like many teachers, had to believe that anything good the child did or that was in him came and could come only from them. It is as if we all dream of seeing in print, someday, a statement by some famous person that all he is he owes to us. "

John Holt What Do I Do Monday pg 40


I am not responsible for my children learning. If I put the burden of responsibility on me, then I am the one responsible, I am the one required to do the work. It is my responsibility to foster in them a love of learning and provide experiences and materials so they can do the learning themselves. You cannot teach what one does not want to learn. You will only learn that which you seek for yourself. Schools force rote memorization in lieu of true learning so they can reap the credit for all they "taught" the children. If the children do not really learn it, that is their own fault. Pshaw.