Eric Holder, Claire Danes, John Legend, Oliver Stone: What I learned from school

Celebrities and standouts such as Zac Efron, Quincy Jones, Paula Deen (even SpongeBob SquarePants) talk to The Post’s Valerie Strauss about enduring inspirations, life lessons and regrets from their school days. Who hated chemistry? Who cheated? Who learned in 20-minute increments in a trailer? Click through to glean a few surprising insights.

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Claire Danes: 'I was nerdy'

''I was the person who raised her hand in class and went 'Ooh ooh, I know the answer.' " The one educational regret of the "Homeland'' actress? "I wasn’t encouraged to learn a foreign language until junior high. We should teach foreign languages at a younger age. And somehow, we have to allow kids to travel and see the world.'' Full story here

Zac Efron: Cheat? Who didn't?

The "High School Musical'' actor singled out his seventh-grade drama teacher as an inspiration and admitted to a frailty, saying without elaboration that he had cheated on a test. An A student in public high school, he rose in advanced courses. "I'd say I excelled at math and science until AP Chemistry and calculus. I started to waver and knew that was not going to be my calling.''
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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

John Legend: 'The most important thing'

The singer was home-schooled through most of his elementary years and had skipped two grades by high school. "The most important thing a student learns at the end of the day, besides the basics of reading and math, is how to think critically. You can teach it in English, in science, in math, in philosophy. It is important for people to know what is a good argument and what is not and the best way to communicate an opinion.''
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Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

Eric Holder: The benefits of college

Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation’s first African American attorney general, grew up in Queens, N.Y., and went to public school. He was selected in fourth grade to be part of a program for intellectually gifted students, and then attended prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He attended Columbia University as an undergraduate and also graduated from its law school. He says, "I LOVED college. I was on my own for the first time and was intellectually challenged. I also had huge fun!"
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Pat Sullivan / AP

David Carr: Find a charismatic teacher

The New York Times writer said he fancied himself a rebel, which had its ups and downs. "It took me seven years to get through college, a B.A. ... When I transferred to the big school I damn near flunked out.... I still have nightmares that I haven’t graduated, that there is a hole in my transcript.''
Full story here

/ Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Paula Deen: 'I was very social'

The chef said learning manners and common sense helped her when school didn't. ''I didn’t study. I never cracked a book. There’s no telling what I could have done if I had been driven to do that. ... (But) I was blessed with the ability to reason. I have good common sense and I can think my way out. And, of course, today I have myself surrounded by very smart people.''
Full story here

/ AP

Quincy Jones: My favorite teacher was Ray Charles

The multilingual legendary musician and producer, whose favorite subject was world history, learned music from some of the best. "Clark Terry taught me how to play the trumpet. [Count] Basie, he took me in and taught me. Nadia Boulangier, she taught me in France. She taught Aaron Copland, and lots of others. She told me, 'I can't un-corrupt you because you started with Ray Charles.' '' (He's seen here leaving the White House East Room with his 2010 National Humanities Medal).
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JASON REED / REUTERS

Buddy Valastro: College isn't for everyone

The fourth-generation master baker, manager of Carlo's City Hall Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., and host of TLC's "Cake Boss'' credits an aptitude for math for his success -- and says not every kid should think about college. "The world needs more people like me who want to do a trade. Not everybody is going to get a cushy office job. If your kid wants to be a baker, embrace it. ... And jobs in the trades, that's where high-paying jobs are going to be.'' (Valastro is seen in 2010 with his son Marco, 3 at the time).
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Helayne Seidman / For The Washington Post

Oliver Stone: 'I went with the herd'

Although the "Platoon'' and "Wall Street'' director bucked the system as a kid, he reflexively sent his three children to private schools. "I gave them the best education I thought they could get... But I realize you have to go through some suffering and pain. People don't appreciate education unless they are an immigrant or coming up the hard way. It's a sense of entitlement.''
Full story here

Chris Pizzello / AP

SpongeBob SquarePants: Life is more than crabby patties

The Nickelodeon cartoon character submitted to an ''interview,'' saying some people, like his friend Patrick, transcend ''learning.'' "He is a force of nature, and blessed with knowledge the way some people are blessed with a full head of hair. It just sprouts up from their head like a kelp field waving majestically in the wind, constantly in need of a trim.''
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