AGAINST SCHOOL

Portia Davis                                                           

Against School, by John Taylor Gatto

Against School, by John Taylor Gatto, he attempts to inform and persuade his reader, in believing that mass schooling of the compulsory nature is not necessary to educate children and does more harm than good.  

Mass schooling , with its Prussian origin, was conceived in the United States in 1905-1915, and adapted in the nineteenth century with its proposed goal to “create good people, citizen and to make each person his or her personal best.”  Like Alexander Inglis, who wrote “Principles of Secondary Education,” Gatto agrees that public school has six goals.                          

1.   Adjustive or Adaptive Function- School is to establish fixed habits of reaction to authority.

2.   Integrating Function- To make children as alike as much as possible.

3.   Diagnostic and Directive Function- School is to determine each student proper role.

4.   Differentiating Function-Once the student has been diagnosed children are sorted and trained per their destination (class system).

5.   Selective Function- School is meant to tag unfit student (students with poor grades) a conscious attempt to improve the breading stock. Peers will accept them as inferior and shun them.

6.   Propaedeutic Function- The societal elite chosen to manage the unfit groups so that government may proceed unchallenged and corporations might never want for obedient labor.                                                                                                       

He also believes this class system was and is a method recognized and used to separate people and to make them conform. This class system was brought about by fear and the belief that efficiency and greed was better than love and happiness.   During this time captains of industry and politician encouraged this system of beliefs.  People were encouraged not to think at all.  This system enables companies to market goods and services more efficiently, creating the perfect consumer generating huge profits.

                                                                                                               Although this system was conceived years ago is still practiced today.  It is Gatto’s assertion that although the public school system claims to create and inspire individuality it does little to ensure and nature that same individuality.  It is Gatto belief that mandatory public school education serves children marginally, it seeks to destroy independence, creative and critical thinking, he believes that mandatory public schooling sets out to create followers and not leader.