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 of 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.” (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”), ensuring we were aware of current events through a myriad of assignments, and rewarding good behavior and academic success while conversely reprimanding negative behavior and poor academic effort.
The strategies I intend to utilize for rereading “Against School” will aid in keeping the text as my primary focus. I will attempt to remove myself from distractions so my attention will not be divided. Instead of trying to squeeze the reading in during work, I will allot time at home to complete the article. Moreover, when I do attempt the reading I will find a quiet place and time, so I won’t become distracted by my children, most likely utilizing their nap time. I will pay attention to the differences in the repetitious themes Gatto echoes throughout the article. I will push through some of the more boring sections and be a more active reader by annotating. I will also take a snack or coffee break when I notice my mind starting to wander and return to the text refreshed.
