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Alfie Kohn

128quotes

Alfie Kohn: A Pioneer of Progressive Education and Social Criticism


Full Name and Common Aliases


Alfie Kohn is the pen name used by Alfred Morton Kohn, an American author, lecturer, and renowned expert on parenting, education, and human behavior.

Birth and Death Dates


Born on November 11, 1945, in New York City, USA. As of this writing, Alfie Kohn is still alive.

Nationality and Profession(s)


American, Author, Lecturer

Early Life and Background


Alfie Kohn grew up in a family that valued social activism and intellectual curiosity. His parents, who were both involved in various progressive causes, instilled in him a strong sense of justice and compassion. Kohn's early life was marked by exposure to diverse perspectives, which laid the foundation for his future work as a social critic and advocate.

Major Accomplishments


Kohn has spent decades researching and writing about issues related to education, parenting, and human behavior. His work has been instrumental in challenging conventional wisdom and promoting more humane, inclusive approaches to personal growth and societal development. Some of his notable achievements include:

Challenging the emphasis on standardized testing and grades in schools
 Advocating for alternative forms of assessment and evaluation
Encouraging parents to adopt non-punitive discipline methods
 Critiquing the cultural narratives that perpetuate competition, individualism, and materialism

Notable Works or Actions


Kohn has authored numerous books and articles on topics such as education, parenting, and social policy. Some of his most notable works include:

"Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes" (1993)
 "Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason" (2005)
* "The Schools Our Children Deserve: Why We Need a New Kind of Classroom—and How We Pay for It" (1999)

Impact and Legacy


Alfie Kohn's work has had a profound impact on the way people think about education, parenting, and human behavior. His ideas have influenced educators, parents, and policymakers around the world, inspiring them to adopt more compassionate, inclusive approaches to personal growth and societal development.

Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered


Kohn's thought-provoking writings and lectures have made him a widely recognized authority on progressive education and social criticism. His work continues to inspire new generations of thinkers, educators, and activists working towards creating a more just and compassionate world.

Quotes by Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn's insights on:

What can we surmise about the likelihood of someone’s being caring and generous, loving and helpful, just from knowing that they are a believer? Virtually nothing, say psychologists, sociologists, and others who have studied that question for decade.
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What can we surmise about the likelihood of someone’s being caring and generous, loving and helpful, just from knowing that they are a believer? Virtually nothing, say psychologists, sociologists, and others who have studied that question for decade.
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How can we do our best when we are spending our energies trying to make others lose – and fearing that they will make us lose?
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How can we do our best when we are spending our energies trying to make others lose – and fearing that they will make us lose?
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How we feel about our kids isn’t as important as how they experience those feelings and how they regard the way we treat them.
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How we feel about our kids isn’t as important as how they experience those feelings and how they regard the way we treat them.
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Besides, what best prepares children to deal with the challenges of the “real world” is to experience success and joy. People don’t get better at coping with unhappiness because they were deliberately made unhappy when they were young.
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Besides, what best prepares children to deal with the challenges of the “real world” is to experience success and joy. People don’t get better at coping with unhappiness because they were deliberately made unhappy when they were young.
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The story of declining school quality across the twentieth century is, for the most part, a fable,” says social scientist Richard Rothstein, whose book The Way We Were? cites a series of similar attacks on American education, moving backward one decade at a time.3 Each generation invokes the good old days, during which, we discover, people had been doing exactly the same thing.
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The story of declining school quality across the twentieth century is, for the most part, a fable,” says social scientist Richard Rothstein, whose book The Way We Were? cites a series of similar attacks on American education, moving backward one decade at a time.3 Each generation invokes the good old days, during which, we discover, people had been doing exactly the same thing.
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John Dewey reminded us that the value of what students do ’resides in its connection with a stimulation of greater thoughtfulness, not in the greater strain it imposes.
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John Dewey reminded us that the value of what students do ’resides in its connection with a stimulation of greater thoughtfulness, not in the greater strain it imposes.
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You have to give them unconditional love. They need to know that even if they screw up, you love them. You don’t want them to grow up and resent you or, even worse, parent the way you parented them.
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You have to give them unconditional love. They need to know that even if they screw up, you love them. You don’t want them to grow up and resent you or, even worse, parent the way you parented them.
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After all, if we want a child to grow into a genuinely compassionate person, then it’s not enough to know whether he just did something helpful. We’d want to know why.
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After all, if we want a child to grow into a genuinely compassionate person, then it’s not enough to know whether he just did something helpful. We’d want to know why.
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Maximum difficulty isn’t the same as optimal difficulty.
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Maximum difficulty isn’t the same as optimal difficulty.
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The dominant problem with parenting in our society isn’t permissiveness, but the fear of permissiveness. We’re so worried about spoiling kids that we often end up over controlling them.
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The dominant problem with parenting in our society isn’t permissiveness, but the fear of permissiveness. We’re so worried about spoiling kids that we often end up over controlling them.
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