"John Caldwell Holt was one of the earliest homeschool pioneers in addition to being an American author, educator, and early researcher in youth rights theory. He became disillusioned with the public school system after numerous years of working within it and seeking reform. Ultimately, he decided that public school reform was not possible and Holt started advocating homeschooling. He believed that "children who were provided with a rich and stimulating learning environment would learn what they are ready to learn when they are ready to learn it"."