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Against Schools: John Taylor Gatto's Powerful Critique of Modern Education
Introduction:
John Taylor Gatto, a New York City teacher who won three Teacher of the Year awards before resigning in protest, delivered a scathing critique of the modern schooling system. His controversial stance, encapsulated in his writings and speeches, argues that schools, far from being engines of progress, are instruments of social control, hindering individual growth and creativity. This article delves into Gatto's central arguments, examining his criticisms and considering their implications for education today. We’ll explore his key points, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and offer a nuanced perspective on this provocative and enduring debate.
Gatto's Core Arguments: Why He Was "Against Schools"
Gatto's primary argument centers on the inherent flaws within the structure and philosophy of compulsory schooling. He didn't advocate for abolishing education altogether; rather, he passionately argued against the system of schooling as we know it. He believed it systematically stifles individuality, creativity, and critical thinking.
1. The Industrial Model of Education:
Gatto likened the modern school system to an industrial factory, designed for mass production and conformity rather than individual learning. The standardized curriculum, rigid schedules, and emphasis on rote learning, he argued, are remnants of an era designed to create compliant factory workers, not engaged and independent thinkers. This rigid structure, he claimed, leaves little room for personalized education tailored to individual strengths and interests.
2. The Suppression of Individuality:
A crucial aspect of Gatto's critique is the suppression of individuality. The rigid structure and standardized assessments, he maintained, force students into a mold, discouraging independent thought and creativity. The focus on grades and external validation, he argued, replaces intrinsic motivation with external pressure, stifling the natural curiosity that drives genuine learning.
3. Hidden Curriculum of Social Control:
Gatto believed schools subtly, and sometimes overtly, instill obedience and conformity. He saw the bell schedule, the ranking system, and the emphasis on following rules as mechanisms for social control, preparing students for a life of unquestioning obedience rather than critical engagement with the world. This "hidden curriculum," he argued, is far more impactful than the officially stated learning objectives.
4. The Illusion of Knowledge:
Gatto criticized the focus on standardized testing and memorization as a shallow approach to learning. He believed true education should foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of concepts, not just the ability to regurgitate facts for a test. He argued that the system often prioritized superficial knowledge over genuine understanding and application.
5. The Deskilling of Children:
Gatto posited that the modern school system actively deskills children. By taking control of their time, limiting their autonomy, and focusing on passive learning, schools prevent children from developing essential life skills like self-reliance, problem-solving, and resourcefulness.
Criticisms of Gatto's Arguments:
While Gatto's critiques are powerful and thought-provoking, they are not without their weaknesses. Some critics argue his vision of alternative education lacks practical implementation strategies. Others point out that he oversimplifies the complexities of the education system, failing to acknowledge the positive aspects of standardized testing (like accountability) or the efforts of many educators to personalize learning within existing structures. The lack of concrete solutions beyond his critique is a frequent point of contention.
The Enduring Relevance of Gatto's Work:
Despite the criticisms, Gatto’s work remains remarkably relevant. His concerns about the industrial model of education, the suppression of individuality, and the hidden curriculum of social control continue to resonate with educators, parents, and students who question the effectiveness and fairness of the current system. His writings serve as a powerful call for educational reform, prompting us to rethink the purpose and methods of schooling.
Conclusion:
John Taylor Gatto’s “against schools” stance isn't a blanket rejection of education but a passionate plea for a fundamental shift in its approach. His criticisms, while sometimes controversial, force us to confront uncomfortable truths about the modern schooling system. Whether you agree with all his arguments or not, his work serves as a vital contribution to the ongoing dialogue about how we can create a more effective, engaging, and genuinely liberating educational experience for all.
FAQs:
1. Did Gatto advocate for completely abolishing schools? No, Gatto argued against the system of compulsory schooling as it currently exists, not against education itself. He envisioned alternative learning environments that fostered individual growth and genuine learning.
2. What alternatives to traditional schooling did Gatto suggest? Gatto didn't offer a specific blueprint, but he championed self-directed learning, mentorship, apprenticeships, and community-based learning experiences as potential alternatives.
3. How has Gatto's work influenced educational reform? Gatto's work has fueled the unschooling movement and inspired discussions around personalized learning, alternative education models, and the importance of critical thinking.
4. Are there any downsides to Gatto’s proposed alternative education models? The lack of standardized assessment and potential for inequities in access to resources are common criticisms of alternative education models.
5. What is the most important takeaway from Gatto's work? The most crucial takeaway is the urgent need to critically examine the purpose and methods of schooling and to prioritize individual growth, creativity, and genuine learning over standardized conformity and social control.
| against schools john taylor gatto: Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto, 2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers’ bestseller for 10 years! Thirty years in New York City’s public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. This second edition describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto’s guerrilla teaching. John Gatto has been a teacher for 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. His other titles include A Different Kind of Teacher (Berkeley Hills Books, 2001) and The Underground History of American Education (Oxford Village Press, 2000). |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Weapons of Mass Instruction John Taylor Gatto, 2010-04-01 The transformation of schooling from a twelve-year jail sentence to freedom to learn. John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction , now available in paperback, focuses on mechanisms of traditional education which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memorization drills. Gatto's earlier book, Dumbing Us Down , introduced the now-famous expression of the title into the common vernacular. Weapons of Mass Instruction adds another chilling metaphor to the brief against conventional schooling. Gatto demonstrates that the harm school inflicts is rational and deliberate. The real function of pedagogy, he argues, is to render the common population manageable. To that end, young people must be conditioned to rely upon experts, to remain divided from natural alliances and to accept disconnections from their own lived experiences. They must at all costs be discouraged from developing self-reliance and independence. Escaping this trap requires a strategy Gatto calls open source learning which imposes no artificial divisions between learning and life. Through this alternative approach our children can avoid being indoctrinated-only then can they achieve self-knowledge, good judgment, and courage. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Exhausted School John Taylor Gatto, 2002 These 13 essays illustrate how education reform actually works. Written by award-winning teachers and their students, these essays present successful teaching methods. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto, 2001 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Principles of Secondary Education Alexander James INGLIS, 1922 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Underground History of American Education , 2003 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto, 2002 For more than a decade, former New York City and State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto has been among the most insightful and outspoken critics of American schooling, and an influential visionary of the future of education. Through hundreds of public talks, articles, interviews, and classroom projects, Gatto has shown decisively where our failing schools have gone wrong and what can be done to fix them. In A Different Kind of Teacher, the bestselling author of Dumbing Us Down has collected his most important writings of the past ten years -- reports, meditations, action plans, and jeremiads -- that will change forever the reader's understanding of how our system of education really operates, and how it can be rescued. Book jacket. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Passion-Driven Education Connor Boyack, 2016-08-16 Do you need parenting advice on how to inspire your child to love learning? Whether you homeschool or send your kids to public or private school, this is essential reading for your situation. Why? Because schooling has become a disaster. Your child's interests and uniqueness are disregarded, and structured curriculum and standards like Common Core place them on a conveyor belt that treats all children the same. This system crushes a child's curiosity. Your child deserves better! There is a better way: one that ensures your child sees learning as a joy and provides you, the parent, with a much less stressful way to educate and empower your son or daughter. In this book, Connor Boyack shares the exciting philosophy and empowering day-to-day steps involved in passion-driven education. A child's curiosity and natural desire to learn are like a tiny flame, easily extinguished unless it's protected and given fuel. This book will help you as a parent both protect that flame of curiosity and supply it with the fuel necessary to make it burn bright throughout your child's life. Let's ignite our children's natural love of learning! Five Things Discussed in the Book What's the problem with schools? Whether public, private, or home, schooling is structured in a way that has significant negative outcomes for children academically, psychologically, and emotionally. To understand the solutions, you first need to review these problems.What's your goal? Too many parents simply send their children to school out of ritual and expectation, without thinking about the end result. Caring parents must ponder the outcomes of education and what they want their children to become. Once goals are established, we can make a plan.I need solutions! It's easy to point out problems with schooling. It's more important that we review serious and attainable solutions that can help you educate your child and preserve (or restore) their natural love of learning.What are the alternatives? If schools are inherently problematic and crush a child's curiosity, what can be done? We'll review several differing approaches to education that incorporate some of the solutions listed earlier.Passion-driven education The best way to educate a child is to speak to them in a language they already understand, using their personal interests as a hook to make other subjects interesting and relevant. We'll review some examples and then give you an action plan. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: 12 Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson, 2018-01-23 #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. Humorous, surprising and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street. What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Child The Parent And The State James Bryant Conant, 2022-10-26 This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Underground History of American Education, Volume I John Taylor Gatto, 2017-05-22 The World's Most Courageous Teacher reveals the inner circle secrets of the American school system. The legendary schoolteacher, John Taylor Gatto, invested over 10 years of dedicated research to uncover some of the most alarming ideas and writings by the creators and advocates of mandatory attendance schooling, which show where the system came from and why it was created. He combined these facts with his personal experience as a teacher for 30 years in New York public schools, where he won many awards, including being named State Teacher of the Year twice, and has authored an all-time classic. This book was originally published in 2001, and has been printed a number of times. However, this updated version includes new essays from the author, as well as contributions from Dr. Ron Paul, David Ruenzel, and Richard Grove. This is the first of a 3 book volume which will help the reader gain a solid understanding about the American school organization and many of the hidden, yet powerful parts. In this first of set, Mr. Gatto's humble yet bold personality, mixed with humor and class, makes it an enjoyable read, despite the importance and implications of the subject. Mr. Gatto says, It's time to take our schools back. If they mean to have a war, let it begin now. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Awakened Eye , 1979 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Unschooling To University Judy L. Arnall, 2018-09-21 School is one option for education; homeschooling is the second, and unschooling is the third. Many parents are frustrated by the school system, perhaps because of bullying, crowded classrooms, and outdated, dull, online courses. Disengaged learners that have no say in their coerced curriculum tend to act out, tune out, or drop out. Education must change and unschooling is the fastest-growing alternative method of learning. Two decades ago, students registered with their local school based on their house address. Now, with the internet, students are borderless. Learning can occur anywhere, anytime, anyway and from anyone-including self-taught. Self-directing their education, unschoolers learn through: - Play - Projects - Reading - Volunteering - Video games - Sports - Mentorship - Travel - Life This book explores the path of 30 unschooled children who self-directed all or part of their education and were accepted by universities, colleges, and other postsecondary schools. Most have already graduated. What children need most are close relationships-parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, coaches, and mentors within a wider community, not just within an institutional school. Educational content is everywhere. Caring relationships are not. Families that embrace unschooling, do not have to choose between a quality education and a relaxed, connected family lifestyle. They can have both. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Creating a Class Mitchell L Stevens, 2009-06-30 In real life, Stevens is a professor at Stanford University. But for a year and a half, he worked in the admissions office of a bucolic New England college known for its high academic standards, beautiful campus, and social conscience. Ambitious high schoolers and savvy guidance counselors know that admission here is highly competitive. But creating classes, Stevens finds, is a lot more complicated than most people imagine. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Pinocchio, the Tale of a Puppet Carlo Collodi, 2011-02 Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet follows the adventures of a talking wooden puppet whose nose grew longer whenever he told a lie and who wanted more than anything else to become a real boy.As carpenter Master Antonio begins to carve a block of pinewood into a leg for his table the log shouts out, Don't strike me too hard! Frightened by the talking log, Master Cherry does not know what to do until his neighbor Geppetto drops by looking for a piece of wood to build a marionette. Antonio gives the block to Geppetto. And thus begins the life of Pinocchio, the puppet that turns into a boy.Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet is a novel for children by Carlo Collodi is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio, an animated marionette, and his poor father and woodcarver Geppetto. It is considered a classic of children's literature and has spawned many derivative works of art. But this is not the story we've seen in film but the original version full of harrowing adventures faced by Pinnocchio. It includes 40 illustrations. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Understanding Waldorf Education Jack Petrash, 2010-03 Written by a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, this book offers a jargon-free view of Waldorf education and its philosophy of the importance of a three-dimensional education. Through learning experiences that involve all of the senses, children use a variety of intelligences to develop thought, feeling, and intentional, purposeful activity. Whether you're Waldorf parent or teacher, or you just want to learn more about these innovative educational concepts, this book contains important ideas on learning that you can apply today. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest John Taylor Gatto, 1975 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Presentation Zen Garr Reynolds, 2009-04-15 FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making slide presentations in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Amish Enterprise Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, 2004-04-19 Amish culture has been rooted in the soil since its beginnings in 1693. But what happens when members of America's oldest Amish community enter non-farm work in one generation? How will hundreds of cottage industries and micro-enterprises reshape the heart of Amish life? Will traditional eighth grade education still prove adequate? What about gender roles, child-rearing practices, leisure activities, and growing ties with outsiders? Amish Enterprise was the first book to discuss these dramatic changes that are transforming Amish communities across North America. Based on interviews with more than 150 Amish entrepreneurs, the authors trace the rise and impact of businesses in Lancaster's Amish settlement in recent decades. In this new edition, the authors update demographic and technological changes, and also describe Amish enterprises outside of Pennsylvania in a new chapter. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Unschooled Kerry McDonald, Peter Gray, 2019-05-07 Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn't have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives. In a compelling narrative that introduces historical and contemporary research on self-directed education, Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order to learn. They are parents who saw firsthand how schooling can dull children's natural curiosity and exuberance and others who decided early on to enable their children to learn without school. Educators who left public school classrooms discuss launching self-directed learning centers to allow young people's innate learning instincts to flourish, and entrepreneurs explore their disillusionment with the teach-and-test approach of traditional schooling. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Homeschooling: a Hope for America Carl Watner, 2017-11-15 HOMESCHOOLING A HOPE FOR AMERICA is a collection of articles taken from The Voluntaryist, a newsletter with a libertarian outlook which has been published since 1982. The anthology has been assembled by Carl Watner (from many of his past articles, as well as those of others), and contains an original Foreword by John Taylor Gatto.This anthology argues against government education in a unique way. One who advocates voluntaryism opposes government schools, not because he opposes schooling but, because he opposes coercion, which is to be found in government taxation, compulsory attendance laws, and in the monopolization of public services. Most of us would agree that there should not be any state religion; that religion should not be supported by taxation; and that people should not be compelled to attend religious services. Why shouldn't the principles of voluntaryism in religion apply to education?All government depends on the cooperation and/or tacit consent of the majority of its citizens. When the state could no longer use government churches to legitimize its rule of the divine right of kings, some other institution had to be found that would induce consent among the masses. Government schools became the chosen instrument to produce good citizens for the state. Indoctrinate the young: then they will support the state for the rest of their lives.America is at a cross roads of cultural and economic disintegration, yet voluntaryists believe that there is hope. It is to be found in home schooling. Rather than cursing the darkness, parents can light one small candle of wisdom and learning and pass it along to the next generation. Ages of experience testify that the only way society can be improved is by the individualist method; ... that is, the method of each one doing his best to improve one. This is the quiet or patient way of changing society because it concentrates upon bettering the character of men and women as individuals. As the individual units change, the improvement in society will take care of itself. In other words, if one takes care of the means, the end will take care of itself. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: "I Love Learning; I Hate School" Susan D. Blum, 2016-01-13 Frustrated by her students’ performance, her relationships with them, and her own daughter’s problems in school, Susan D. Blum, a professor of anthropology, set out to understand why her students found their educational experience at a top-tier institution so profoundly difficult and unsatisfying. Through her research and in conversations with her students, she discovered a troubling mismatch between the goals of the university and the needs of students. In I Love Learning; I Hate School, Blum tells two intertwined but inseparable stories: the results of her research into how students learn contrasted with the way conventional education works, and the personal narrative of how she herself was transformed by this understanding. Blum concludes that the dominant forms of higher education do not match the myriad forms of learning that help students—people in general—master meaningful and worthwhile skills and knowledge. Students are capable of learning huge amounts, but the ways higher education is structured often leads them to fail to learn. More than that, it leads to ill effects. In this critique of higher education, infused with anthropological insights, Blum explains why so much is going wrong and offers suggestions for how to bring classroom learning more in line with appropriate forms of engagement. She challenges our system of education and argues for a reintegration of learning with life. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning Douglas Wilson, 2022 Newspapers are filled with stories about poorly educated children, ineffective teachers, and cash-strapped school districts. In this greatly expanded treatment of a topic he first dealt with in Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson proposes an alternative to government-operated school by advocating a return to classical Christian education with its discipline, hard work, and learning geared to child development stages. As an educator, Wilson is well-equipped to diagnose the cause of America's deteriorating school system and to propose remedies for those committed to their children's best interests in education. He maintains that education is essentially religious because it deals with the basic questions about life that require spiritual answers-reading and writing are simply the tools. Offering a review of classical education and the history of this movement, Wilson also reflects on his own involvement in the process of creating educational institutions that embrace that style of learning. He details elements needed in a useful curriculum, including a list of literary classics. Readers will see that classical education offers the best opportunity for academic achievement, character growth, and spiritual education, and that such quality cannot be duplicated in a religiously-neutral environment-- |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The True and Only Heaven: Progress and Its Critics Christopher Lasch, 1991-09-17 A major and challenging work. . . . Provocative, and certain to be controversial. . . . Will add important new dimension to the continuing debate on the decline of liberalism. —William Julius Wilson, New York Times Book Review Can we continue to believe in progress? In this sobering analysis of the Western human condition, Christopher Lasch seeks the answer in a history of the struggle between two ideas: one is the idea of progress - an idea driven by the conviction that human desire is insatiable and requires ever larger production forces. Opposing this materialist view is the idea that condemns a boundless appetite for more and better goods and distrusts improvements that only feed desire. Tracing the opposition to the idea of progress from Rousseau through Montesquieu to Carlyle, Max Weber and G.D.H. Cole, Lasch finds much that is desirable in a turn toward moral conservatism, toward a lower-middle-class culture that features egalitarianism, workmanship and loyalty, and recognizes the danger of resentment of the material goods of others. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Idiot Nation Michael Moore, 2005 Every book tells a story . . . And the 70 titles in the Pocket Penguins series are emblematic of the renowned breadth and quality that formed part of the original Penguin vision in 1935 and that continue to define our publishing today. Together, they tell one version of the unique story of Penguin Books. Multi-million selling author; award-winning filmmaker, performer, activist and scourge of political hypocrites everywhere, Michael Moore is nothing less than a global phenomenon. Stupid White Men - the book they tried to ban in the US - was published by Penguin in the UK in 2002 and has since sold well over 1.5 million copies. These hilarious and scorching extracts show exactly why Moore is the man that everyone has an opinion on. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Real Education Charles Murray, 2009-08-25 The most talked-about education book this semester. —New York Times From the author of Coming Apart, and based on a series of controversial Wall Street Journal op-eds, this landmark manifesto gives voice to what everyone knows about talent, ability, and intelligence but no one wants to admit. With four truths as his framework, Charles Murray, the bestselling coauthor of The Bell Curve, sweeps away the hypocrisy, wishful thinking, and upside-down priorities that grip America’s educational establishment. •Ability varies. Children differ in their ability to learn, but America’s educational system does its best to ignore this. •Half of the children are below average. Many children cannot learn more than rudimentary reading and math. Yet decades of policies have required schools to divert resources to unattainable goals. •Too many people are going to college. Only a fraction of students struggling to get a degree can profit from education at the college level. •America’s future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. It is time to start thinking about the kind of education needed by the young people who will run the country. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Being a Teacher , 2015 |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Beginnings of Learning Jiddu Krishnamurti, 2003 Krishnamurti believed that “education is the heart of the matter.” His longstanding concern with the nature and problems of education led him to found schools in India, England, and America, and his conversations with students, teachers, and parents form the major part of Beginnings of Learning. These lively, often intimate exchanges turn on practical, everyday matters as well as wider philosophical issues, as Krishnamurti encourages his audience to appreciate that the beginning of wisdom is self-knowledge. Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in southern India in 1895 and died in 1986. The essence of his teachings is that societal change and world peace can only occur through a complete change of individual consciousness. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Whole Movement of Life Is Learning Jiddu Krishnamurti, 2015-07-30 Our modern society is based on greed, envy and power. When you consider all this as it actually is, this overpowering commercialism indicates degeneration and basic immorality. We are destroying the earth and all the things on it for our gratification. To radically change this pattern of our life, which is the basis of all society, is the educator's responsibility. Written over a period of fifteen years, Krishnamurti's letters to his schools contain the essence of his teachings. Krishnamurti aims at making the reader understand the way he thinks, how all of us are influenced, moulded to conform to a pattern and free him from the limitations of his mind. Education is to unfold the full human potential. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Teenage Liberation Handbook Grace Llewellyn, 1998 An estimated 700,000 American children are now taught at home. This book tells teens how to take control of their lives and get a real life. Young people can reclaim their natural ability to teach themselves and design a personalized education program. Grace Llewellyn explains the entire process, from making the decision to quit school, to discovering the learning opportunities available. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Instead of Education John Holt, John Caldwell Holt, 2004 Holt's most direct and radical challenge to the educational status quo and a clarion call to parents to save their children from schools of all kinds. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Back to the Rough Ground Joseph Dunne, 1997-09-01 Back to the Rough Ground is a philosophical investigation of practical knowledge, with major import for professional practice and the ethical life in modern society. Its purpose is to clarify the kind of knowledge that informs good practice in a range of disciplines such as education, psychotherapy, medicine, management, and law. Through reflection on key modern thinkers who have revived cardinal insights of Aristotle, and a sustained engagement with the Philosopher himself, it presents a radical challenge to the scientistic assumptions that have dominated how these professional domains have been conceived, practiced, and institutionalized. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Beyond Discipline Alfie Kohn, 2006 In this 10th anniversary edition of an ASCD best seller, author Alfie Kohn reflects on his innovative ideas about replacing traditional discipline programs, in which things are done to students to control how they act, with a collaborative approach, in which we work with students to create caring communities. Features a new afterword by the author. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: How Children Learn John Holt, 2009-04-20 From the preface by Deborah Meier: We have a long way to go to make John Holt's dream available to all children. But his books make it possible and easier for many of us to join him in the journey. In this enduring classic, rich with deep, original insight into the nature of early learning, John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, learning is as natural as breathing. In his delightful book he observes how children actually learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how, as adults, we can best encourage these natural abilities in our children. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition John Taylor Gatto, 2017-05-19 Throw off the shackles of formal schooling and embark upon a rich journey of self-directed, life-long learning After over 100 years of mandatory schooling in the U.S., literacy rates have dropped, families are fragmented, learning disabilities are skyrocketing, and children and youth are increasingly disaffected. Thirty years of teaching in the public school system led John Taylor Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling is to blame, accomplishing little but to teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. He became a fierce advocate of families and young people taking back education and learning, arguing that genius is as common as dirt, but that conventional schooling is driving out the natural curiosity and problem-solving skills we're born with, replacing it with rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment. Gatto's radical treatise on public education, a bestseller for 25 years, continues to bang the drum for an unshackling of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes to learning, it's poised to continue to shake the world of institutional education for many more years. Featuring a new foreword from Zachary Slayback, an Ivy League dropout and cofounder of tech start-up career foundry Praxis, this 25th anniversary edition will inspire new generations of parents and students to take control of learning and kickstart an empowered society of self-directed lifetime-learners. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Teach Your Own John Holt, 1981-07 Examines the advantages and disadvantages of home education, offering advice on legal strategy, dealing with school authorities, home learning, and returning to school at a later time |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Collapse of Globalism Revised Edition John Ralston Saul, 2009-09-22 In 1999, John Ralston Saul began predicting that globalism would collapse. In 2005, he laid out this scenario in The Collapse of Globalism: and the Reinvention of the World Now he has enlarged the book, showing how today's crisis came about and suggesting what to do next. In this new edition, Saul describes the current financial crisis as a mere boil to be lanced. The far more serious problem is that the West—driven by most of its economists, managers, consultants, and columnists—remains stuck on outdated ideas of growth, wealth creation, and trade expansion. They are still trying to limit the debate to a narrow choice between protectionism and free trade and are concentrated on old-fashioned stimulation. Public policy has been dominated by the people who created this crisis. Saul envisions a new sort of wealth creation and growth, and in place of reaction, advocates new forms of action. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: Against Schooling Stanley Aronowitz, 2008 Stanley Aronowitz passionately raises an alarm about the current state of education in the US. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated? Alfie Kohn, 2004-05-15 Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions about education as provocatively as Alfie Kohn. Time magazine has called him'perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores.' And the Washington Post says he is 'the most energetic and charismatic figure standing in the way of a major federal effort to make standardized curriculums and tests a fact of life in every U.S. school.' In this new collection of essays, Kohn takes on some of the most important and controversial topics in education of the last few years. His central focus is on the real goals of education-a topic, he argues, that we systematically ignore while lavishing attention on misguided models of learning and counterproductive techniques of motivation. The shift to talking about goals yields radical conclusions and wonderfully pungent essays that only Alfie Kohn could have written. From the title essay's challenge to conventional, conservative definitions of a good education to essays on standards and testing and grades that tally the severe educational costs of overemphasizing a narrow conception of achievement, Kohn boldly builds on his earlier work and writes for a wide audience. Kohn's new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers and by any teacher or parent looking for a refreshing perspective on today's debates about schools. |
| against schools john taylor gatto: The Adventures of Snider John Taylor Gatto, 2016-12-10 A children's epic rhyme about a sophisticated and cultured spider named Snider, who dreams of becoming a CIA spy and his subsequent adventures working for the CIA. |
AGAINST SCHOOL - Archive.org
By John Taylor Gatto I taught for thirty Y
AGAINST SCHOOL - preterhuman.net
AGAINST SCHOOL . John Taylor Gatto. I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during that time I became an expert in boredom.
Against School - John Taylor Gatto
Against School* John Taylor Gatto** How public education cripples our kids, and why. I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during …
Against school John Taylor Gatto Harper's Magazine; Sep …
Against school John Taylor Gatto Harper's Magazine; Sep 2003; 307, 1840; CBCA Reference and Current Events pg. 33. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further …
An Evaluation of John Taylor Gatto's Opposition to …
completely opposing the education system and schools and arguing that it is unnecessary is incompatible with the reality of the life we live today. This study aims to make a scientific and …
Against Schools The Tyranny of Compulsory Schooling
John Taylor Gatto is one of the more widely-recognized and well-known voices in the ever-expanding chorus of homeschoolers and unschoolers, reformists and radicals calling for the …
Against Schools John Taylor Gatto (2024) - netsec.csuci.edu
John Taylor Gatto’s “against schools” stance isn't a blanket rejection of education but a passionate plea for a fundamental shift in its approach. His criticisms, while sometimes …
Why Schools Don't Educate by John Taylor Gatto - Archive.org
by John Taylor Gatto. I accept this award on behalf of all the fine teachers I've known over the years who've struggled to make their transactions with children honorable ones, men and …
Against School John Taylor Gatto Summary (PDF)
system The legendary schoolteacher John Taylor Gatto invested over 10 years of dedicated research to uncover some of the most alarming ideas and writings by the creators and …
Gatto John Taylor Against School Full PDF - test.post …
Thirty years of award-winning teaching in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling does little but teach young people to...
THE EXHAUSTED SCHOOL - preterhuman.net
John Taylor Gatto Keep in mind as I speak that I spent 26 years in public school classrooms. My perspective is that of an insider, not an outsider. You have been warned. We live in a time of …
Against School John Taylor Gatto (2024) - netsec.csuci.edu
John Taylor Gatto, a highly decorated New York City teacher who later became a vocal critic of public schooling, spent years dissecting the system from the inside, ultimately concluding that …
Against School John Taylor Gatto - obiemaps.oberlin.edu
Against Schools The Tyranny of Compulsory Schooling John Taylor Gatto is a former teacher and a prominent critic of public schooling. He argues that schools are authoritarian, boring, and …
John Taylor Gatto – The Purpose of Schooling - Stopthecrime
problem of supervision would be solved, for who can argue against the truth that childish and childlike people are much easier to manage than critically trained, self‐reliant, ones. Now you …
John Taylor Gatto Archive
what centralized schools could deliver: 1. Obedient soldiers for the army, 2. Obedient workers for the mines, 3. Subservient civil servants for goy- ernment, 4. Subservient clerks for industry, …
Are All Homeschooling Methods Created Equal?
In his provocative essay, “Against School,” John Taylor Gatto (2003) details many of the problems he sees with America’s public schools and methods of education.
Praise for - Internet Archive
John Taylor Gatto explains how compulsory public schools train children to be employees and consumers instead ofleaders and achievers in a free America. - PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, …
The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher - preterhuman.net
Bad kids fight against this, of course, trying openly or covertly to make decisions for themselves about what they will learn. How can we allow that and survive as schoolteachers? Fortunately …
THE DOCUMENTED ESSAY MLA Documentation Style
Gatto, John Taylor. “Against School.” Harper’s Sept. 2003: 33-38. Print. Note: In the works-cited example above, John Taylor Gatto is the author of the article “Against School” that appeared …
Weapons of mass instruction: a schoolteacher's journey
This study is a book review of John Taylor Gatto’s work titled "Weapons of Mass Instruc-tion: A Schoolteacher’s Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling". The purpose of …
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Against school john taylor gatto quotes 4) The differentiating function. Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best. 5) The selective function.
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Thirty years in New York City’s public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. This second edition describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto’s guerrilla teaching. John Gatto has been a teacher for 30 years
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Gatto John Taylor Against School John Taylor Gatto. Content Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public ... Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2002 For more than a decade, former New York City and ...
Gatto John Taylor Against School (PDF) - pivotid.uvu.edu
Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2002 For more than a decade, former New York City and State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto has been among the most insightful and outspoken critics of American schooling, and an influential visionary of the future of education.
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Against school by john taylor gatto analysis ... , they continued to believe in the dream of educational opportunity which brought them better Laments about our schools are nothing new; everyone is an expert, it seems, when it comes to education. While most critics point to the lack of funding or the shortage of teachers, John Taylor Gatto ...
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Against School by John Taylor Gatto In the article “Against School” by the author John Taylor Gatto begins telling his story by how boredom was something that was related to the education in America. He begins his essay by explaining the readers ... Gatto believes that schools are not allowing students to reach their own potential to gown ...
Praise for - WordPress.com
John Taylor Gatto explains how compulsory public schools train children to be employees and consumers instead ofleaders and achievers in a free America. - PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, president of Eagle Forum John Taylor Gatto has forcefully presented the case that ... a people who believe in freedom will never emerge from a system that starts with coercion.
Praise for - Apocatastasis Institute
John Taylor Gatto explains how compulsory public schools train children to be employees and consumers instead ofleaders and achievers in a free America. - PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, president of Eagle Forum John Taylor Gatto has forcefully presented the case that ... a people who believe in freedom will never emerge from a system that starts with coercion.
AGAINST SCHOOL - Archive.org
AGAINST SCHOOL. John Taylor Gatto . I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during that time I became an expert in boredom. Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so
2009 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION FREE …
Gatto, John Taylor. “Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why.” Harper’s Magazine Sept. 2003. The following is excerpted from an essay by a former high school teacher who advocates educational reform. Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine
John Taylor Gatto Archive
John Taylor Gatto is a former New York State and New York City Teacher of the Year and the author, most recently, of The Underground History of American Education. He was a participant in the Harper’s Magazine fortim “School on a Hill,” which appeared in …
John Taylor Gatto Against School - 45.79.9.118
John Taylor Gatto Against School Mitchell L Stevens ... Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 Weapons of Mass Instruction John Taylor Gatto,2010-04-01 The transformation of schooling from a twelve-year jail sentence to freedom to learn. John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction , now available in paperback, focuses on
John taylor gatto against school summary
Against the school by John Taylor Gatto in the article Against Schools by author John Taylor Gatto begins to tell his story by the way boredom was related to American education. He begins his essay by explaining his own experiences to readers when he was a teacher. Gatto says students and teachers were bored in the classroom and at school.
The Underground History Of American Education An Intimate …
schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders ... John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction , now available in paperback, focuses on ... contains an original Foreword by John Taylor Gatto.This anthology argues against government education in a unique way.
Against School John Taylor Gatto .pdf , www.industry.colorado
Against School John Taylor Gatto The Underground History of American Education, Volume I - John Taylor Gatto ... Gatto says, "It's time to take our schools back. If they mean to have a war, let it begin now." Dumbing Us Down - John Taylor Gatto 2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public
AGAINST SCHOOL - the-eye.eu
AGAINST SCHOOL John Taylor Gatto I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during that time I became an expert in boredom. Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said
Gatto John Taylor Against School [PDF]
Gatto John Taylor Against School [PDF] Rachel Sandford Skip College Connor Boyack,2019-06-20 How Children Learn John Holt,1995-09-04 Explores the natural learning processes of children at the pre-school and primary grade level and describes the ways in which formal education damages and impedes the child's independent ability to learn
Gatto John Taylor Against School
Gatto John Taylor Against School .pdf John Holt,John Caldwell Holt Homeschooling: a Hope for America Carl Watner,2017-11-15 HOMESCHOOLING A HOPE FOR AMERICA is a ... Government schools became the chosen instrument to produce good citizens for the state. Indoctrinate the young: then they will support the state for the rest of their ...
Gatto John Taylor Against School (PDF)
Gatto John Taylor Against School James Bryant Conant. Content Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public ... Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2002 For more than a decade, former New York City ...
Against school john taylor gatto sparknotes
Against school john taylor gatto sparknotes In this story called Against School, written by John Taylor Gatto, he compares school to the concept of boredom. "Do we really need school?"(149) He also explores this concept of the question if school is really as necessary as we make it. Gatto expresses how that students and teachers are both bored ...
Gatto John Taylor Against School , John Taylor Gatto (PDF) …
The Adventures of Snider John Taylor Gatto,2016-12-10 A children's epic rhyme about a sophisticated and cultured spider named Snider, who dreams of becoming a CIA spy and his subsequent adventures working for the CIA. A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2000 Gatto analyzes the roots of the modern American education system,
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Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2002 For more than a decade, former New York City and State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto has been among the most insightful and outspoken critics of American schooling, and an influential visionary of the future of education.
Against School John Taylor Gatto Summary Full PDF
Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto 2001 The Underground History of American Education, Volume I John Taylor Gatto 2017-05-22 "The World's Most Courageous Teacher" reveals the inner circle secrets of the American school system. The legendary schoolteacher, John Taylor Gatto, invested over 10 years of dedicated research to
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Gatto John Taylor Against School Pdf Copy - pivotid.uvu.edu
Title: Gatto John Taylor Against School Pdf Copy Created Date: 11/1/2024 2:16:04 PM
Why Schools Don't Educate by John Taylor Gatto - Archive.org
Why Schools Don't Educate by John Taylor Gatto http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/gatto3.1.1.html[17/01/2013 18:53:23] entertainments and his inevitable assignment to ...
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Gatto John Taylor Against School Carlo Collodi. Content Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public ... Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 A Different Kind of Teacher John Taylor Gatto,2002 For more than a decade, former New York City and ...
Gatto John Taylor Against School (2024)
Gatto John Taylor Against School Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers’ bestseller for 10 years! Thirty years in …
John Taylor Gatto Archive
John Taylor Gatto is a former New York State and New York City Teacher of the Year and the author, most recently, of The Underground History of American Education. He was a participant in the Harper’s Magazine fortim “School on a Hill,” which appeared in …
Against School John Taylor Gatto - John Taylor Gatto .pdf …
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Gatto John Taylor Against School Full PDF John Taylor Gatto How Children Fail John Holt,1995-09-04 First published in the mid 1960s, How Children Fail began an education ... One who advocates voluntaryism opposes government schools, not because he opposes schooling but, because he opposes coercion, which is to be found in government taxation ...
Praise for - ia902901.us.archive.org
John Taylor Gatto explains how compulsory public schools train children to be employees and consumers instead ofleaders and achievers in a free America. - PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, president of Eagle Forum John Taylor Gatto has forcefully presented the case that ... a people who believe in freedom will never emerge from a system that starts with coercion.
Against School John Taylor Gatto Summary [PDF]
Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70 000 copies of the first edition in print this radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers bestseller for 10 years Thirty years in New York City s public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to ...
THE EXHAUSTED SCHOOL: How Did We Ever Come to Believe …
John Taylor Gatto Keep in mind as I speak that I spent 26 years in public school classrooms. My perspective is that of an insider, not an outsider. You have been warned. We live in a time of great school crisis, and that crisis is linked to a greater social crisis in the general community. We seem to have lost our identity. Children and old ...
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John taylor gatto against school thesis School is against an argumentative essay that says that the public education system incapacitates today's children. By John Taylor Gatto. ... It also highlights why schools were created and what purpose it serves now. It also educates us about the fact that all the great explorers have never attended ...
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Oct 19, 2023 · Gatto John Taylor Against School John Taylor Gatto Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto,2002-02-01 With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical ... Why Schools Don't Educate John Taylor Gatto,2001 The Exhausted School John Taylor Gatto,2002 These 13 essays illustrate how education reform actually works. Written by
Microsoft Word - MIC Study Guide - Gatto, 1-14.docx
5. What does Gatto mean (p. 16, 10th anniversary addition) when he says that the seven lessons are “prime training for permanent under classes”? 6. Why does Gatto say that the 7-Lesson system “profoundly anti-educational”? Do you agree or disagree? 7. Gatto says, “School is a 12-year jail sentence where bad habits are
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Gatto John Taylor Against School Pdf - elearning.slu.edu.ng
Summary of John Taylor Gatto's Dumbing Us Down Milkyway Media,2024-01-22 Get the Summary of John Taylor Gatto's Dumbing Us Down in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto is a critical examination of the American education system. Gatto, an experienced teacher, identifies a hidden
