A must read and a very dangerous book, which is high praise.
Long time classroom teacher and NY City and State Teacher of the Year Gatto is prophetic in the true sense of the word: he criticizes the status quo and energizes us to develop a better future for educating our children. He reveals the dysfunctionality behind mass schooling, which is more a mass jobs project than an inspiring means by which to instill a body of knowledge, far less stoke creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. He makes an supremely convincing case for LESS school, not more and reveals the destructive lessons instilled by the way we do school, like conformity and subordination.
Essentially, school “ensures a workforce that will not rebel…that will be physically, intellectually, and emotionally dependent upon corporate institutions for their incomes, self-esteem, and stimulation, and that will learn to find social meaning in their lives solely in the production and consumption of material goods. They haven’t changed much since the 1890s because they don’t need to –they perform precisely as they are intended.”
Dumbing Us Down: The H…
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His work has become a foundation for homeschoolers everywhere because he urges parents to take their power to play a much larger role in their offspring’s education. Perhaps this is a good idea in many loving households. At a recent state homeschoolers’ convention of 4000-5000 attendees in Florida, the twin mantra were “We want to spend as much time as we can with our children and keep them as part of our close family forever” and “it doesn’t really matter what we teach or don’t; God will make sure they get what they need.” We may defend parents’ rights to…