...others, in order to avoid failure, is what school is all about for many students. In John Holt's words: We adults destroy most of the intellectual and creative...not doing what other people want, of not pleasing, or making mistakes, of failing, of being wrong. Thus we make them afraid to gamble, afraid to experiment,...

...thing, by the process that we misname education - a process that goes on in most homes and schools. We adults destroy most of the intellectual and creative capacity of children by the things we do or make them do. We destroy this capacity above all by making them afraid, afraid of not doing what...

...of life. "A desire to do and an ability to learn" that we might well call genius in an older person. We adults destroy most of the intellectual and creative capacity of children by the things we say or make them do. We destroy this capacity above all by making them afraid, afraid of not doing...

...though they may seem perfectly obvious to us. This can result in permanent scars. Children may become afraid of not doing what other people want, of not...pleasing, of making mistakes, of failing, of being wrong. They can become afraid to experiment, fearful of trying the difficult and unknown. But these...