Patrick Farenga is an American writer and educational activist. He is known as a leading advocate of the modern

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

movement which started in the 1970s.

Life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Farenga worked closely with homeschooling leader

John Caldwell Holt John Caldwell Holt (April 14, 1923 – September 14, 1985) was an American author and educator, a proponent of homeschooling (specifically the unschooling approach), and a pioneer in youth rights theory. After a six-year stint teaching element ...

on his Boston-based magazine, ''

Growing Without Schooling ''Growing Without Schooling'' (''GWS'') was a homeschooling newsletter focused primarily on unschooling and deschooling. It was founded in 1977 by educator John Holt,Scheffer, Susannah. "Doing something very different: Growing without schooling. ...

'' (''GWS''). After Holt's death in 1985, he took over as publisher of ''GWS'' and president of the parent company, ''Holt Associates''. Farenga is a prolific writer, and has authored or contributed to many of the other educational publications by Holt Associates. He has written articles for numerous publications including ''Mothering'', ''Paths of Learning'', ''Home Education'', and ''The Bulletin of Science, Technology, and Society''. He contributed chapters to ''The Encyclopedia of School Administration'' (1988) and ''A Parent's Guide To Homeschooling'' (2002). Among his works, Farenga is perhaps best known as the author of ''The Beginner's Guide To Homeschooling'' (1998) and ''Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling'' (2003). In addition to his homeschooling career, Farenga is also an accomplished pianist and saxophonist. Though ''GWS'' ceased print publication in November, 2001, and his own three children have grown to maturity, Farenga continues to write and edit educational material, and remains an active homeschooling advocate and consultant. Farenga has three children which he

unschooled Unschooling is an informal learning that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, ...

External links

Personal website
Holt Associates/GWS

Learning In Our Own Way: About Pat Farenga
An Article on Unschooling
By Pat Farenga

By Pat Farenga
GWS YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farenga, Pat American educational theorists American education writers Homeschooling advocates Living people Writers from New York City Year of birth missing (living people)