- Read and annotate “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto, which I passed out in class. You can also find it HERE
- Write (and post on OpenLab) a 250 word “Difficulty Paper” on the Gatto reading. The category is “Gatto.”
What do I mean by a Difficulty Paper? In this text low-key assignment, you will write about what you found difficult, confusing, boring, annoying, or painfully obvious in this reading. The most important thing about it, though, is that you BE SPECIFIC. If your mind wandered– tell us where your mind wandered– and start to explore WHY you think this happened to you, and, even more importantly , what you think Gatto may have been trying to say there (and, perhaps what makes you think he failed.) If you find a passage particularly confusing, cite the passage, and explain what specifically confused you about it– not just “the vocabulary was confusing” but point to confusing words, try to figure out what he might have said instead.
Why do we do this? This is not to get you to see what’s wrong with you as a reader. Quite the opposite! In fact, the places where you are most confused or frustrated (or even bored, believe it or not) are often the places you are doing your best thinking. You’re grappling with difficult questions. The difficulty paper can help you get deep into the heart of those questions. Believe me– I’ve seen it work wonders.
What if I don’t find it difficult? I would be a little surprised if you didn’t find anything difficult in this text at all– but it’s possible. Remember, difficulty can also take the forms of being boring or too obvious. Also, look for places you can dig in and look for something a bit deeper– look for clues you may want to know more.
