Nina Darbonne
Dr. Carrie Hall
English Comp 1 1101-D355
19 February 2019
Parochial Schools Upholding Public Education Mission
In current society, it is so commonplace being urged to buy the latest products whether its a phone, laptop, footwear, clothes, or gaming paraphernalia; that people rarely bat an eye at the steady stream of advertising we encounter at every turn. Advertising constantly assaults individuals with the message “you need the newest features.” Despite having fully functional items, they suddenly become obsolete as soon as the new edition hits the shelves. Are these unavoidable waves of consumerism so deeply imbedded in our culture that it affects our youth in schools? Is the education that is presumed to take place in the school systems being usurped by institutionalized brainwashing to mass produce a society of “gullible, mindless consumers?”
The most reliable source to answer these questions would be the two groups that spend the most time in the school systems, students and teachers. This is the unfortunate truth according to John Taylor Gatto, an award winning teacher in New York, who ended up leaving the profession bitter and jaded. Gatto’s article “Against School,” berates the public school institution criticizing the founding intentions and effectiveness of producing educated individuals. Gatto writes, “School didn’t have to train kids in any direct sense to think they should consume nonstop, because it did something even better: it encouraged them not to think at all. And left them sitting ducks for another great invention of the modern era – marketing.” (Gatto 4) Schools do not specifically promote children to be consumers, however they encourage them not to be discerning. Then leaving impressionable minds defenseless against the onslaught of advertising. Public schools may not be conditioning students to be consumers, its rampant in almost every aspect of society; however schools can do more to prepare children to competent functional adults.
John Taylor Gatto taught in the New York City school system for thirty years. He grew to believe the public school system hinders children as opposed to educating and preparing them to be responsible, productive adults. Gatto identifies his major gripes with the public school system in his article “Against School.” Some the concepts Gatto mentions in the article I previously never gave much thought to and took for granted. Gatto mentions in the article, “1. To make good people. 2. To make good citizens. 3. To make each person his or her personal best. These goals are still trotted out today… as a decent definition of public education’s mission.” (Gatto 2) Based on this information, the public school system should aim to mold each young mind into morally good people that strive to achieve their best and are productive members of society upon graduation from high school. At the age of eighteen, approximately the same age many complete “the twelve-year wringer,” many aspects of the world transform and opportunities open up to individuals. For instance, eighteen marks the age when people are considered legally adults with the capacity to make their own decisions and be held accountable for said decisions and actions, enlist in the military, and the ability to vote is available. Personally, I never attended public school. However, through my experiences in catholic schools I feel the parochial educational institutions I attended have strived to instill the objectives of the public education’s mission in their students. This was done through requiring volunteer work, stressing the importance of the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), and rewarding good behavior and academic success while conversely reprimanding negative behavior and poor academic effort. The academic institutions I attended ensured we were aware of current events through a myriad of assignments that emphasized news articles while excluding sports and celebrity tabloids.
To be gullible is to readily believe something without questioning the source or soundness of the information. If a school’s goal is to merely force feed students information without them giving further thought to the material the teacher are providing, mindless gullible behavior is being fostered. In my school experience, I encountered several teachers that sought to keep the classroom interesting and students engaged by challenging students to fact check in order to possibly correct the teacher for various incentives.
The schools I attended made efforts to combat consumerism by banning fad objects from being brought into the classrooms. This spanned from yo-yos and tamagotchis to G shock watches. In conjunction with uniforms, materialism was discouraged and uniformity was promoted.
Dr. Robert Leamnson wrote “Learning (Your First Job)”, which describes the components of the learning process (understanding and remembering) and several methods to aid this process both in and out of the classroom. Many of Leamnson’s learning strategies ring true. Leamnson writes, “You cannot be ‘given’ learning, nor can you be forced to do it. The most brilliant and inspired teacher cannot ‘cause’ you to learn. ” (Leamnson 1) A good teacher can not force a student to learn it is the student’s responsibility as well. Conversation is not one sided neither is the learning process.
A person’s achievements are not based solely on their educational background but their motivation and perseverance are major components. That being said, some careers, such as medical doctor, require substantial schooling that would seems unattainable without the “twelve-year wringer” as a adequate base to build upon.
Works Cited
Gatto, John T. “Against School.” Against School – John Taylor Gatto, wesjones.com/gatto1.htm.
Leamnson, Robert. “Learning (Your First Job).” MA, Dartmouth, Dec. 2002.
