Against School

John Taylor Gatto, in "Against School", discusses our inferior educational system and the dire consequences it has on our society. He claims that it was intentionally set up to "dumb-down" America, and make us productive robots, rather than effective thinkers.

My first reaction to this article was "WOW"! I appreciate the candor with which he spoke, and found it a very intriguing and new way of looking at our educational system. I have felt similarly about the "schooling" we have received and have often wondered how one's ability to regurgitate facts is a sufficient way to determine intellectual ability. I would love to hear more of the specifics of how he would "...easily and inexpensively jettison the old, stupid structures and help kids take an education rather than merely receive a schooling." (153) Besides offering parents tips on avoiding the traps of the educational system, he doesn't offer concrete solutions to fix the system as a whole.

I found the mission of the public school system interesting as well. I think most people feel that without "schooling", our children would be a bunch of idiots, and, therefore, believe that school is necessary "1. To make good people. 2. To make good citizens. and 3. To make each person his or her personal best."(154) The theory that there is a deliberate attempt, based on the Prussian example of schooling, to keep our country minimally educated was intriguing to me. I grew up in this system, as did my parents, and so I don't know anything different. I can relate to the "prison-like" atmosphere, boring lesson plans, and cramming for that test where I was required to regurgitate the "right" answer. I haven't studied other countries' educational systems, but I just assumed they were similar to ours. I think it would be an interesting topic to explore and compare their teaching methods with those of our own country.

At the end of his essay, I do like the fact that Gatto gives parents a ray of hope in avoiding the pitfalls of our educational system. Parents are primarily responsible for their children's education, and there are numerous ways to make sure they are truly learning. Whether they work through the system and supplement their child's education where needed, or whether they move them to a private school or homeschool, children can truly learn with the help of their parents. As Gatto states, "Don't hide behind reading, writing, and arithmetic as a rationale, because 2 million happy homeschoolers have surely put that banal justification to rest." (153) What kind of a country might we have if we taught our children in the way Gatto suggested? I know that I would love to find out!