Children Fail - John Holt - How

Holt observed that instead of trying to understand material, students develop "strategies" to dodge adult demands and "fish" for right answers:

: Children are often terrified of being "wrong," displeasing adults, or losing labels like "gifted". This fear makes them emotionally incapable of checking their own work or exploring new ideas deeply. John Holt - How Children Fail

: The curriculum is often trivial, dull, and disconnected from a child's real interests, making narrow demands on their intelligence. Holt observed that instead of trying to understand

: Much of the information presented in school feels like a "torrent of words" that contradicts what children actually know about reality. Strategies of Survival " displeasing adults