john gatto's against school

The difference between schooling and education is one that has remained divisive to this day. For supporters of education, education has little to do with school; that is, classrooms and teachers are not needed for one to learn. They believe that active interactions are the perfect way to understand. As a result, being able to adventure and experiment is the best way to understand one's self-worth. However, supporters of the educational system argue that this is not the case. They agree that school should play a part in molding children into productive people. This is the basis for John Taylor Gatto's essay Against Schools. Gatto tries to differentiate schooling from education. He does this by incorporating his own experiences. From his observations, he notes that boredom is prevalent in schools. The boredom cuts across the teachers and students alike. Gatto goes on further in examining the purposes of the education. He distinguishes between what the public conceives to be the purpose of school. Finally, he concludes by giving examples of how schooling does not help. In fact, he says that schooling makes children out of children. That through schooling, instead of one growing up, he or she only grows older.
Being a teacher himself, Gatto gets into direct experience with the boredom in schools. Through his experience in teaching some of the best and worst schools in Manhattan, he discovers that boredom is rampant in schools (Gatto, 33). He further states that it is through his experience as a teacher that he became an expert in boredom. Both teachers and students experience boredom. According to the students, the subject matter taught is not real and that they already know it. Besides the students also doubt their teachers' mastery of the concept. The students want the teacher to be actively involved and not just sitting around (Gatto, 33). With bored and disinterested students, the teachers also get bored (Gatto, 33). The teachers themselves were also a product of the 12-year compulsory education system; thus, they were more entangled in the system than the students were. He recounted his experience when he told his grandfather he was bored. Gatto's grandfather responded by batting him. He made it aware to Gatto that the decision to be bored or not lied squarely to himself. Gatto embraced this school of thought and went on transferring it to his students. Ultimately, this does not go well with authority as during his medical leave, his job is terminated and teaching license revoked (Gatto, 34).
After his retirement in 1991, it is then Gatto seeks to understand the whole idea of schooling. He questions the need for schooling. According to him, Education is more important than mere schooling. He goes on to draw a list a list of notable successful people who did not attend school. For instance, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln all never participated at any secondary school. However, this did not deter them from going on and establishing themselves as notable and respectable people in the United States. He also notes that throughout the history of America, people did not attend secondary schools, yet they were able to rise to prominent positions in the society. Melvin Twain, Conrad, Rockefeller, and Edison were “unschooled,” yet they rose to be admirals in the community (Gatto, 34). He notes that Americans have been conditioned to relate success with schooling. This is not the case according to his observations. He further explores the reasons given for the needed of schooling which was popularized in the period between 1905 and 1915 (Gatto, 36). Schooling was meant to mold responsible citizens from the children. This is the perception of schools by everyone in the United States. However, this is entirely wrong since information from various literature in the United States shows this is not the intention. For instance, H.L Mencken in his works The American Mercury Of 1924 observes that the aim of schools is not to fill students with knowledge and education (Gatto, 35).
From information obtained from the various pieces of literature, Gatto became aware of the fact that the United States education system borrowed heavily from the utopian state of Prussia. The schooling system aimed to make servants. He notes the role played by James Bryant in developing the schooling system in the United States (Gatto, 36). Though it is from Inglis actual purposes of schools that Gattos bases his judgment of the schools (Gatto, 37). He then relates the state of the ‘childishness’ that exists in our society to the schools. From Inglis Actual purpose of schools, Gatto gets the whole meaning and purpose of the schools. The masses had to be dumb, to prevent them from ever questioning the authority. Thus, they would forever strive to be employees. Ever wondered why we buy television and still pay for it (Gatto, 37)? However, the good thing is that it is not necessary to send your child to school as you can homeschool the kid. This will teach the kid independence, leadership and autonomy in decision-making.
I tend to agree with Gatto's assertion that most of the masses have become increasingly dumber and no longer think for them. It is true over time the average Americans desire to question stuff is no longer there. We tend to do things by populist theory. Our spending patterns have been influenced by this. We no longer do analysis
On the other hand, I tend to disagree with his argument that the schooling system does not produce inventors and admirable. Maybe the inventions made by former students of the current school system are not as popularized as those of the older system are. However, it is evident the current schooling system has produced individuals who can use and solve technology to solve human problems.Dr. Ben Carson learned from the same public schools, Gattos is castigating, but he was able to perform a splitting surgery of enjoined twins.
In conclusion, through Gatto's approach, we get to examine our current school system critically. For instance, we note its role in promoting boredom that is prevalent in our schools. Again, he offers insightful comments, which we can use to better the education of our children. Consequently, we will not be making children out of them.











Work Cited
Gatto, John Taylor. "Against school." Harper’s Magazine307.1840 (2003): 33-38.