'I Won't Learn from You': And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment [Paperback]

Herbert R. Kohl (Author), Jonathan Kozol (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

"I Won't Learn from You," Herb Kohl's classic essay on "not learning," or refusing to learn, is now available in an affordable paperback edition, together with four new essays. Drawing on an idea of Martin Luther King Jr.'s, Kohl talks about the need for "creative maladjustment" in the classroom and indeed anywhere else that students' intelligence, dignity, or integrity are compromised by a teacher, an institution, or a larger social mindset.

This volume also includes 'The Tattooed Man," Kohl's autobiographical essay about "hopemongering," which Kohl finds essential for all effective teaching in these difficult times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite the social and economic despair that pervades many U.S. public schools, meaningful learning and teaching are nevertheless possible, declares famed educator Kohl. To overcome the "massive rejection of schooling by students from poor and oppressed communities," Kohl ( 36 Chil dren ), in these five inspirational, optimistic essays, outlines teaching strategies designed to unlock students' energy, intelligence and drive by encouraging them to envision ways to improve their world. He believes that both teachers and students should cultivate "creative maladjustment," channeling personal discontent into moral or political action. Kohl defends multiculturalist curricula as central to the struggle for fairness. Turning to higher education, he argues that issues of academic freedom and "political correctness" are used by neoconservatives to mask their desire to control ideas in the university and to push out ethnic and women's studies.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

The five essays in this book are powerful reminders that currently popular ideas of school choice may be only another trendy veneer disguising the deeply rooted problems of public education. Teacher Kohl (From Archetype to Zeitgeist, 1992, etc.) is an ardent spokesman on behalf of students, the people most neglected in debates about failures in the classrooms. The title essay explores the provocative idea that ``not-learning'' is a conscious choice made by children who observe, sometimes very early, that the school system is trying to impose on them values and behavior that are foreign and sometimes repugnant to them. Diagnosed as learning- disabled, stupid, or disciplinary problems, children who appear not to be able to learn to read or do math may simply have opted out of the system, choosing instead to put their intelligence and creativity to work outside school. In ``The Tattooed Man,'' he asserts that, before anything else can be accomplished, teachers must challenge the hopelessness felt by students. The ``norming of excellence'' and political correctness are the subjects of two other essays, accompanied by a devastating critique of E.D. Hirsch, Jr.'s Cultural Literacy and Core Knowledge series. Kohl attacks Hirsch's material as not only racist and sexist, but ``pernicious, stupid, and dangerous.'' Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call to be ``maladjusted'' to injustice and inequity is the theme of the last essay. ``Creative maladjustment'' consists of ``learning to survive with minimal moral and personal compromise in a thoroughly compromised world,'' says Kohl. In such a world, he argues, the failure of schools and teachers is often pinned on children--by diagnosing them with Attention Deficit Disorder, for example. He challenges teachers to take action by, for instance, refusing to turn such children over to special education classes. Some anecdotes and examples are repeated from earlier works, but this is must reading for Kohl fanciers and anyone looking for the humanity buried in the long debate about why Johnny can't read. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The; 2nd edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565840968
• ISBN-13: 978-1565840966
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Creating Hope in Today's Students November 14, 2002

By Ria Caldwell

Book Review- Ria Caldwell
Kohl, H. (1995). I won't learn from you: and other thoughts on creative maladjustment. New Press.

Kohl is now known as the classic speaker on "not learning" or refusing to learn that results in certain students' inappropriate placement into special education programs and classrooms. Kohl begins by describing certain situations and conditions that he finds himself in, requiring him to re-evaluate what it is that our students need. Hope as he refers to as "hopemongering" is the title of one of his chapters where he cites examples of how he has had to instill or rekindle the flame of hope that students so desperately need at times. Kohl provides some examples of how a student who would be viewed as a discipline or behavior problem might in fact be practicing his "not learning" ability or "right to refuse" as I like to call it.
Kohl addresses issues in education surrounding race, culture, economic, and linguistic differences that result in the diversity of each and every classroom in the U.S. He points out that the reasons for the amount of "dropout" teachers is exceeding the amount of "dropout" students and in order for this to change we need to adopt new ways of embracing these children who are often born into poverty. He emphasizes the importance of finding balance in order to achieve maximum effectiveness with our students. He indicates that the true art of teaching comes from being able to lead students to make discoveries that create their own meaning, purpose, learning and under-standing. Not "lecturing" them on the topic of equality but instead, facilitating their own critical thinking and encouraging them to find their own strengths and weaknesses and to explore their environments with a "new set of eyes...." He also talks about fear of students, traditionally the fear that "white" teachers have of "black and latino" students, I would like to call this fear "culturephobia" or "colorphobia".
I think every teacher can find a part of themselves in the numerous examples cited in the book and am glad that I was able to read the words of a man who has so much to offer the educational institutions that exist today. Read more ›

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Creatively maladjusted people are the movers and shakers! March 11, 1999

By An Ordinary Guy

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Interested in maintaining the status quo? Then this book is not for you. Though evidence of Kohl's leftward leaning ideologies pervade much of the book - (while in his writing he commits some of the very biases he criticizes), his insights into purposeful and subconscious biases that our culture subjects us to are second to none. Interestingly, I find myself battling against many of the same issues as a young teacher in the 1990's that Kohl faced in the 1960's. Kohl's writing is the antithesis to the societal norm of, "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts!" For those unafraid to think critically, I heartily endorse the book. You never know where it may take you. Prepare to become a maladjusted mover and shaker!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Was Expecting... January 7, 2010

By Ms. Teacher

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I had thought this book would give me insight as a teacher why some children don't learn, but it was actually stories of racist and sexist teaching practices that students were reacting to. The first example was a second grader who refused to read. The author "tricked" the student into pretending to read wherein the student replied, "see, I told you I could read." This was a story about a student who couldn't read and was embarrassed about it, not a story about a student who was refusing to learn. The author gradually brought the student along and he learns to read. In another example a teacher was teaching a group of Hispanic immigrant students that the first settlers in Texas were Europeans, in a school of mostly Hispanic students the room's walls were covered with only pictures of famous whites. In a very sad case, a student committed suicide by heroin overdose because a school counselor refused to give him a diploma because of the counselor's personal dislike of the student. This didn't even sound legal but no mention was made about the author seeking legal assistance. The book didn't bring me any insights into the students, just horror stories about bad teachers and bad school administrators. I think the book would have been more appropriately titled, "I CAN'T learn from you."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Inconsistent March 5, 2011

By G. J Wiener

It was somewhat challenging following the purpose of I Will Not Learn From You. Some of the prejudices that people have, are indeed true. However, the author is not clear on the parameters of what causes some bright students to refuse to learn. He describes his own bias about not learning Yiddish as standing up for his mom. However, later on in the book he regrets this bad choice. Truthfully the feeling is that the author was not an open minded child. He adjusted somewhat as a teacher but I just can ascertain a message that the manis trying to communciate to his audience other than detailing some semi-interesting stories. Fortunately the book is under 200 pages.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If Jonathon Kozol recommends it - you know it's good!! December 8, 1998

By A Customer

I loved the insight this author gives in his book about how to understand WHY children chose not to learn - what environments and circumstances can change the desire to learn certain things. I used to have a different philosophy about teaching "lazy, beligerent children" - but now I see that those preconceived ideas are not only unfair, but untrue.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting direction in Teacher Education! January 13, 1999

By [e-mail]

The concept of not-learning something that could be learned is an interesting phenomenon. It is akin to not thinking about the punchline of a joke once you've already heard it. For students to consciously choose not to be a part of a debilitating society is at once revolutionary and reprehensible. This book not only helps us to understand why many of our children are where and who they must be, but also, why the teacher in each of us must do and say what we know to be right.