Patrick Farenga | Britannica

Patrick Farenga

Contributor

BIOGRAPHY

Patrick Farenga is a writer and education activist who worked closely with the late author and teacher John Holt and continues his work today as the president of HoltGWS LLC. After Holt died, Farenga published Growing Without Schooling magazine (GWS) from 1985 until 2001. GWS was the nation’s first periodical about learning without going to school, started by Holt in 1977. Farenga speaks as a homeschooling expert at education conferences around the world, as well as on commercial radio and television talk shows.

Farenga writes about homeschooling for a number of trade and academic publications and he operates the John Holt/Growing Without Schooling website, www.johnholtgws.com, and is a founding member of www.alternativestoschool.com. Farenga’s recent publications include, Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling (Perseus, 2003); and The Legacy of John Holt: A Man Who Genuinely Understood, Trusted, and Respected Children (HoltGWS, 2013).

Primary Contributions (1)

Homeschooling

Homeschooling, educational method situated in the home rather than in an institution designed for that purpose. It is representative of a broad social movement of families, largely in Western societies, who believe that the education of children is, ultimately, the right of parents rather than a…

Publications (3)

The Legacy of John Holt A Man Who Genuinely Understood, Respected, and Trusted Children (2013)

By Patrick Farenga, Carlo Ricci

The Legacy of John Holt contains sixteen portraits of a radical teacher and writer whose ten books and work influenced schoolteachers and homeschoolers to help children learn in their own ways. Written by friends, colleagues, and homeschoolers who knew Holt personally, this book sheds new light on a pivotal figure in American education whose work continues to inspire the homeschooling movement (which Holt called "unschooling"). People who knew Holt from his college days until his death share stories...

Teach Your Own The John Holt Book Of Homeschooling (April 2003)

By John Holt, Patrick Farenga

The classic and indispensable work on teaching children at home, fully updated for today's new laws, new lifestyles, and the growing new generation of homeschooling parents

Today more than one and a half million children are being taught at home by their own parents. In this expanded edition of the book that helped launch the whole movement, Pat Farenga has distilled John Holt's timeless understanding of the ways children come to understand the world and added up-to-the-moment legal,...

The Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling (2000)

By Patrick Farenga

This popular guide was first published in 1995 and has been in print ever since written by the publisher of Growing Without Schooling magazine, the author draws upon his 19 years of experience with homeschoolers, as well as 23 years of stories and articles written for Growing Without Schooling. Updated, expanded, and revised for 2000-2001, this easy-to-read book explains how to explore your options, and develop a homeschooling plan tailored to your child. Includes listings for helpful private schools,...