A practical guide for keeping young people’s curiosity alive All children begin life as passionate, curious learners. But in school, too many become alienated from the joy of learning. Filled with stories and specific ideas, The Passionate Learner is a handbook for cultivating kids’ passionate engagement with learning at all ages. “A wise, realistic treatise on the prospects of reclaiming children’s engagement with learning. . . . Fried is inspirational and practical.” —Publishers Weekly “[A] fascinating look at the way children lose their natural ability to learn as they enter and progress through school. . . . [Fried] outlines strategies for parents, teachers, and school systems to enliven the teaching process and recapture children’s natural passion for learning. An inspiring resource for parents and teachers.” —Booklist “Should be required reading for all educators committed to reforming classrooms and reviving the spirit of learning.” —Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Emory University “Fried accomplishes here what so few education writers have even attempted—he speaks to parents in the same clear, nonjargon prose he offers to teachers.” —Seymour Sarason, author of Teaching as a Performing Art “Fried’s reflections are dead-on.” —Teacher Magazine “Accurate and thought-provoking analyses of what we believe and what schooling actually promotes.” —Principal Magazine Robert L. Fried is associate professor of education at Northeastern University in Boston, and works with teachers and parents in schools around the country. Author of The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide, he lives in Concord, New Hampshire.