John Taylor Gatto Against School Summary

Against School, by John Taylor Gatto, analyses the purpose of America’s public school system, and discusses the negative consequences of being in the public school system. Gotto begins his essay with telling readers of his experiences in American schools. A teacher for thirty years, Gotto experienced many schools in the Manhattan area first hand. The author claims that boredom is a problem in the schools for both students and teachers, and although the intentions of schools sound pleasant, in all actuality they are not.

According to Gotto, he “became an expert in boredom” during his time as a teacher in New York. His students would tell him that the work was “stupid”. Not only did the students find the work easy and useless, but they also found the teachers to be uninterested in the subject matter they taught. As the students blame their boredom on the teachers, the teachers also blame their boredom on their students. Gotto writes, “Who wouldn’t get bored teaching students who are rude and interested only in grades?” The author then states that the only one to blame for boredom is yourself.

In the past many well known

men and women did not receive schooling, although they educated themselves and went on to do great things. Gotto, writes that schooling and education are two separate things, and that schooling does not equal success. He looks at children who were homeschooled, and how even though they have been successful despite not taking part in the “deadly routine” that public schools are. Later on, he also compares the school system to a prison.
Not only does Gotto believe that schooling doesn’t equal success, he also believes that it hinders the growth of children.

He writes, “Divide children by subject, by age grading, by constant rankings on tests, and many more subtle means, and it was unlikely that the ignorant mass of mankind, separated in childhood, would ever re-integrate into a dangerous whole.” This quotation shows that he feels that the school system is in place to dumb down, divide, conform, and demoralize the children of America. He also feels that schools take away maturity, and make people easy to control. This makes people easier to predict and control, as both workers and citizens. Despite all this he says there are ways to avoid this negative. By teaching your children to think for themselves, take on “serious material”, and have them learn to enjoy their own

company.
All in all, Gotto uses strong language, and emotional arguments to support his claim. He believes the public school system need to be reworked to promote more individuality, maturity, and think critically.