Draft

 

The society we live in now today is a place were having the newest and latest products is a big thing. Whether it’s the newest clothes,footwear, technology ,etc. We see the advertisement for these thing and think to own self that we need them. Constantly being pressured with the message that you need the newest things. Even when having something  new there’s always something newer being added to the shelves making us want it. And the same thing happens when it comes to educational things. Is this type of consumerism drilled into our head and culture that it affects you? Is this consumerism apart of your education making society gullible and mindless?

There are two groups that can answer these questions and that’s teachers and students. This is truth when it comes to John Taylor Gatto’s article “Against School,” where he rates public schools intentions and there effectiveness of their education. In his article Gatto states, “ 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.”(4) It’s not like that schools promote consumerism but however they don’t disencourage it. Leaving students defenseless from advertisement.

As a teacher in the New York City school system were he grows to believe that the school system makes children oppose to education and preparing them to be responsible adults. Gatto mentions in the article, “ First, though , we must wake up to what our schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.”(5) Based on this statement, the public school system is the place were kid go to be brainwashed by the educational system. Drilling habits and attitudes that we would need in society.

Eighteen marks the age when people are considered legally adults. By being legal they are able to make their own decisions and be held accountable for what they say and their actions. As a person who attended public school the idea of the education system drilling habits and attitudes that we would need in society. With these habits and attitudes drilled in your head affects my decision making because you think about how it’s going to affect your society and you. You think about all the things that you have learned and how you are going to us it in your life in society. Making you wonder if that what you been tough is going to help or hurt you. Being gullible is believing something without questioning the person or the information. If the goal for school’s is to feed information to students without giving further information. Making students foster the idea of gullible behavior. My experience at school were teachers would tell you something but you always think are they telling me the truth. Am i going to really needs this? Is this going to affect me later?Teachers always telling you don’t bring this don’t do that. That these things will help us when done with school. But the truth is all these thing somehow are apart of everyday life and part of society and how we live.

In another article by Dr. Robert Leamnson “Learning (Your First Job)”, were he describes the components of the learning process and the several methods on how to process both in and out of the classroom. 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) No teacher can force you to learn. Even best teachers can’t force you to learn it you yourself that has to force themselves to learn.

 

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.