Schooling that children are forced to endurein which the subject matter is imposed by others and the learning is motivated by extrinsic rewards and punishments rather than by the childrens true intereststurns learning from a joyful activity into a chore, to be avoided whenever possible. Coercive schooling, which tragically is the norm in our society, suppresses curiosity and overrides childrens natural ways of learning. It also promotes anxiety, depression and feelings of helplessness that all too often reach pathological levels.
