I was pretty conflicted when I read this book. First and foremost, this book seemed incredibly familiar even though I had never read it before, or even heard of Gatto. It paralleled much of what my favorite author, Wendell Berry, has to say about education (or in the case of Wendell Berry, what he has to say about everything). Gatto even quotes him late in the book. It takes issue with the uniform nature of schooling in America (schooling: not to be confused with education). It repeats much of what I've encountered before, with regards to the idea that experiential learning is far more important to the overall "education" of a person than mere factual memorization. This book concerned itself more with community/local influence on education, something that I have grown to appreciate more and more, with Mr. Berry being a huge influence on that side of me. The book advocates taking a step back, letting communities themselves decide how best to school the children, rather than a bureaucrat in the state capitol. Gatto does a nice job of tempering his opinions and remaining tongue-in-cheek (he reiterates several times that he does exactly what he is rallying against, since he believes the problem itself is systematic and rather than being "tweaked", should be demolished and rebuilt). He makes the point time and time again that there is a better way to go about things than simple standardized tests and that the disintegration of education is owed almost entirely to the disintegration of communities themselves.
While it is not specific to high school and mainly refers to public university, I recommend that everyone read Wendell Berry's essays on abstraction in education, found in his collections of essays, [Home Economics] and [Standing By Words].
Gatto emphasizes in this work that although he criticizes the hoops he and his students must jump through, he does not have the option. He acknowledges that although he does not like it, he is still a part of it. He does not feel that small changes will do much. Rather, an overthrowing of the current schooling and gaining/rebuilding of a new educational system (that educates rather than “schools” its students) is what will do something that makes a difference. I agree with Gatto that we may dislike the system, but until someone can completely re-orchestrate it, we have no choice in the big picture but to acquiesce to its rules and regulations.
On page 22 the author speaks of homeschooling in a positive light, and I loved this. I was able to relate through my homeschooling experience and how I was positively impacted. When I have kids one day I would love to homeschool them for a time if I am able.
Education does not involve simply teaching academics but instilling true knowledge, skills, honorable characteristics in children that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Expecting them and teaching them to simply do well enough to pass a standardized test does nothing to test their true knowledge of life outside of the generic school subjects.
I was also very conflicted while reading this book. I at times found myself getting angry with the author for some things he suggested about education and then feeling happy about a few other things he said as well. The one thing I was bothered by the most was how he did say that we needed to take a step back and let communities choose what was better for education for children. Now, I agree with that we should let the community be more invovled than the government, but at the same time, education does need to have some order to it. No it doesn't need to be like a conformity pyramid, but it also doesn't need to be "loosey goosey." But that is just my spheal on the whole idea.
So here is my #1:
1. What is this piece suggesting that is truly different from how education is usually done? a. This piece, instead of encouraging the way our education goes right now, it suggests that we need to reform our education system. The author compares our education to that of a pyramid. The people involved are like stones that are in the pyramid and stuck inside of a conformed structure. Also, the author then suggest later that because of the strict basis that school systems are now, they are considered a twelve year sentence to prison instead of a place for learning.
I had a lot of difficulty with this book. In my opinion, the author sounded preachy and dated. He kept scrutinizing what was WRONG with the education system, what was wrong with our community, what was wrong with society. If anything, it was just depressing me. If he is right, and there is so much wrong, and nothing we do will affect our students because of the community entrapment and the idea they are "imprisoned" in a classroom, what's the point? For example, this quote of pg 27, was especially disheartening "Well-schooled people are irrelevant. They can sell film and razor blades, push paper and talk on telephones, or sit mindlessly before a flickering computer terminal, but as human beings they are useless. Useless to others and useless to themselves." What are we, the readers and potential teachers, supposed to think about that?
Gatto was very well-spoken and well-researched, but for the most part, I didn't take much from his work. I did particularly like this quote, however; "Discovering meaning for yourself, and discovering satisfying purpose for yourself, is a big part of what education is" (pg 68)
I, like Christine and others, also had a lot of difficulty with the book. I took many of his 'lessons' to be sarcastic like number 5, intellectual dependency (p. 7) where he says "good students wait for a teacher to tell them what to do. ...We must wait for other people, better trained than ourselves, to make the meanings of our lives." Some of these sections and 'lessons' made me squirm because in my mind I kept screaming 'well why don't you do anything about it???' After I think about Gatto that way, then my rational and rule following side butts in and says 'well truthfully he is working with what he has been given, and is trying not to make any waves.'
I did not know what 'compulsory schooling' was until I read Gatto's book. What I agree with most are his thoughts on the differences between education and schooling. He speaks about education on page 67, saying that education should furnish you with an original spirit..., make you spiritually rich...make you a unique individual..." and basically make you love when you are doing and who you are with. I think this is the essence of the book.
I was pretty conflicted when I read this book. First and foremost, this book seemed incredibly familiar even though I had never read it before, or even heard of Gatto. It paralleled much of what my favorite author, Wendell Berry, has to say about education (or in the case of Wendell Berry, what he has to say about everything). Gatto even quotes him late in the book. It takes issue with the uniform nature of schooling in America (schooling: not to be confused with education). It repeats much of what I've encountered before, with regards to the idea that experiential learning is far more important to the overall "education" of a person than mere factual memorization. This book concerned itself more with community/local influence on education, something that I have grown to appreciate more and more, with Mr. Berry being a huge influence on that side of me. The book advocates taking a step back, letting communities themselves decide how best to school the children, rather than a bureaucrat in the state capitol. Gatto does a nice job of tempering his opinions and remaining tongue-in-cheek (he reiterates several times that he does exactly what he is rallying against, since he believes the problem itself is systematic and rather than being "tweaked", should be demolished and rebuilt). He makes the point time and time again that there is a better way to go about things than simple standardized tests and that the disintegration of education is owed almost entirely to the disintegration of communities themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is not specific to high school and mainly refers to public university, I recommend that everyone read Wendell Berry's essays on abstraction in education, found in his collections of essays, [Home Economics] and [Standing By Words].
Gatto emphasizes in this work that although he criticizes the hoops he and his students must jump through, he does not have the option. He acknowledges that although he does not like it, he is still a part of it. He does not feel that small changes will do much. Rather, an overthrowing of the current schooling and gaining/rebuilding of a new educational system (that educates rather than “schools” its students) is what will do something that makes a difference. I agree with Gatto that we may dislike the system, but until someone can completely re-orchestrate it, we have no choice in the big picture but to acquiesce to its rules and regulations.
ReplyDeleteOn page 22 the author speaks of homeschooling in a positive light, and I loved this. I was able to relate through my homeschooling experience and how I was positively impacted. When I have kids one day I would love to homeschool them for a time if I am able.
Education does not involve simply teaching academics but instilling true knowledge, skills, honorable characteristics in children that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Expecting them and teaching them to simply do well enough to pass a standardized test does nothing to test their true knowledge of life outside of the generic school subjects.
I was also very conflicted while reading this book. I at times found myself getting angry with the author for some things he suggested about education and then feeling happy about a few other things he said as well. The one thing I was bothered by the most was how he did say that we needed to take a step back and let communities choose what was better for education for children. Now, I agree with that we should let the community be more invovled than the government, but at the same time, education does need to have some order to it. No it doesn't need to be like a conformity pyramid, but it also doesn't need to be "loosey goosey." But that is just my spheal on the whole idea.
ReplyDeleteSo here is my #1:
1. What is this piece suggesting that is truly different from how education is usually done?
a. This piece, instead of encouraging the way our education goes right now, it suggests that we need to reform our education system. The author compares our education to that of a pyramid. The people involved are like stones that are in the pyramid and stuck inside of a conformed structure. Also, the author then suggest later that because of the strict basis that school systems are now, they are considered a twelve year sentence to prison instead of a place for learning.
I had a lot of difficulty with this book. In my opinion, the author sounded preachy and dated. He kept scrutinizing what was WRONG with the education system, what was wrong with our community, what was wrong with society. If anything, it was just depressing me. If he is right, and there is so much wrong, and nothing we do will affect our students because of the community entrapment and the idea they are "imprisoned" in a classroom, what's the point? For example, this quote of pg 27, was especially disheartening "Well-schooled people are irrelevant. They can sell film and razor blades, push paper and talk on telephones, or sit mindlessly before a flickering computer terminal, but as human beings they are useless. Useless to others and useless to themselves." What are we, the readers and potential teachers, supposed to think about that?
ReplyDeleteGatto was very well-spoken and well-researched, but for the most part, I didn't take much from his work. I did particularly like this quote, however;
"Discovering meaning for yourself, and discovering satisfying purpose for yourself, is a big part of what education is" (pg 68)
I, like Christine and others, also had a lot of difficulty with the book. I took many of his 'lessons' to be sarcastic like number 5, intellectual dependency (p. 7) where he says "good students wait for a teacher to tell them what to do. ...We must wait for other people, better trained than ourselves, to make the meanings of our lives." Some of these sections and 'lessons' made me squirm because in my mind I kept screaming 'well why don't you do anything about it???' After I think about Gatto that way, then my rational and rule following side butts in and says 'well truthfully he is working with what he has been given, and is trying not to make any waves.'
ReplyDeleteI did not know what 'compulsory schooling' was until I read Gatto's book. What I agree with most are his thoughts on the differences between education and schooling. He speaks about education on page 67, saying that education should furnish you with an original spirit..., make you spiritually rich...make you a unique individual..." and basically make you love when you are doing and who you are with. I think this is the essence of the book.