What Do I Do Monday?

What Do I Do Monday? is John Holt’s response to hundreds of letters he received from teachers asking for practical advice on implementing change in their classrooms. Teachers asked, ＂I understand what you’re saying about changing schools, but what can I do about this in my own classroom? What do I do on Monday?＂ Holt answers with a treasure trove of practical suggestions, innovative teaching strategies, and hands-on activities. From personalized learning plans to collaborative projects and community-building activities, Holt provides practical advice and inspiration to help teachers create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Holt’s groundbreaking books, How Children Faii (1964) and How Children Learn (1967), sparked a movement by challenging traditional teaching methods. He observed that forcing children to learn made them unnaturally self-conscious, stifling their initiative and creativity as they focused on pleasing teachers with the ＂right＂ answers. Holt’s recommendations challenge the traditional constraints faced by today’s educators, offering practical advice to foster innovation, compassion, and resourcefulness in teaching. Implementing the strategies in What Do I Do Monday? empowers teachers to change the classroom dynamic, the relationship between students and teachers, and schools’ connections to their communities

Whether you’re a new teacher looking for inspiration or a seasoned educator searching for fresh ideas, What Do I Do Monday? is an invaluable guide to transforming your classroom, captivating your students’ imaginations, and making learning more fun and meaningful.

John Holt (1923-1985) educator, author of ten groundbreaking books, and amateur musician was a leading figure in school reform and homeschooling movements. How Children Learn, and How Children Fail, sparked a movement by challenging traditional teaching methods. He observed that forcing children to learn made them unnaturally self-conscious, stifling their initiative and creativity as they focused on pleasing teachers with the ＂right＂ answers. Together these two books have sold over a million and a half copies and have been translated into over 24 languages.

Holt also founded Growing without Schooling (GWS) in 1977, the first magazine published about homeschooling, unschooling, and learning outside of school. GWS remained influential in the global development of the homeschooling and unschooling movements until its closure in 2001.

John Holt believed that schools failed to meet their mission and aimed to change the classroom dynamic and the relationship between students and teachers. His experience as a fifth grade teacher, an educational consultant, and a visiting lecturer at Harvard and Berkeley, showed him that schools were ＂a place where children learn to be stupid.＂ Traditional teaching methods stifled children’s creativity and initiative, making them focus on pleasing teachers and schools rather than learning. Ultimately, he became convinced that the school establishment was unable to change the relationship of the child to the teacher and the school to the community, which led him to advocate for unschooling, a type of child-led homeschooling where children are provided with a rich and stimulating learning environment and learn by following their own interests, at their own pace.

Even after his death, Holt’s legacy lives on through his work, which has inspired generations of educators and parents.