Category: Uncategorized

 

        All my life has consisted of me being in school 5 days a week for 8 hours a day for the last 12+ years. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be in private school and what its like to be in the public school system as well. Even though both experiences were very different the outcome was the same, my teachers didn’t seem to care about teaching or helping students. In Gattos article “Against School” he speaks about how corrupt the school system and isn’t truly affective. Now i don’t entirely agree with his logic but i also believe a lot of what he says is true, he might be onto something.

          The Idea that schooling can make children gullible and mindless doesn’t surprise me. Almost my entire life of being in school, being constantly told  to sit at a desk all day. Being told what to do and what not to by all your teachers every second of the day, than they go home to do more work that they’ve probably already forgotten all the material they learned that day can be really stressful. I know as a child who has grown up like this, this has put a lot of stress on me and my fellow classmates. I’ve never been an A student and sometimes i wasn’t a B student either, i struggled in some areas more than others but i tried about as hard as a child usually does. Which is trying hard once- I fail- and i give up. Meaning that i put effort into once and once i fail i have no motivation to want to try again. And when i did fail most of my teachers growing up never really noticed or some just didn’t care to help. Now i’m not saying every teacher out there is like this, i’ve had many teachers that i looked up too and will forever remember them. But i’ve also had many teachers who just seem like they absolutely hate their job. In Gattos “Against School” he explains it perfectly. “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there. When asked why they feel bored, the teachers tend to blame the kid”. In this quote Gatto is saying that some teachers just seem bored almost like they just don’t want to be there. I believe this so strongly because of seen this first hand from teachers, i’ve had many teachers say “ I’ve already graduated, I don’t care” or “ I don’t care if you don’t want to learn i already got paid”. Again i’m not saying all teachers are like this but hearing this come from a teacher multiples times a day doesn’t motivate a student to want to learn. I mean if the teacher doesn’t even want to be there than why would the students want to.

        The idea that going to school five days a week for 8 hours a day for 12 years+ straight doesn’t always guarantee success. What i mean by this is that all our lives we are taught that education is the most important thing which yes essentially it is important, But it always isn’t the case with some people. There are many people in this world that are living proof of that, people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg succeeded beyond reach and barely had their foot in the door. Again disclaimer i also don’t believe the same rules apply for everyone obviously, if you want to be a doctor you have to go to school for it there’s no exception. But higher education isn’t for everyone, back in the day around segregation going to university was considered a luxury because the only the rich white people could afford it because there was rarely any colleges accessible for people of color. It’s a beautiful thing that it is accessible in America now as it wasn’t back then, but standards for success is to overwhelming. In 2019 seeking higher education is a necessity to get any job, even Mcdonalds requires some college experience. In Gattos article “Against School” he speaks about how a lot of people have made a name for themselves without being fully educated.  “Throughout most of American history, kids generally didn’t go to high school, yet the unschooled rose to be admirals, like Farragut; inventors, like Edison; captains of industry, like Carnegie and Rockefeller; writers, like Melville and Twain and Conrad; and even scholars, like Margaret Mead”. Gatto is saying that all the people he mentioned became successful without having to go to school, that it even was common for most people to not even go to highschool and that was the norm. Gatto even points out that he isn’t fully saying he agrees with no schooling, he just thinks that some people are fully capable of teaching themselves which he explains here “We have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think of “success” as synonymous with, or at least dependent upon, “schooling,” but historically that isn’t true in either an intellectual or a financial sense. And plenty of people throughout the world today find a way to educate themselves” I fully agree with this statement because yes while education is important not everyone needs to be in school to learn, children being home-schooling is just as affected.

 

 

Citation:

“Against School” – John Taylor Gatto , 2003

https://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm

What if we were Given an education not schooling?

We are trapped in a society that if we have no education people look down upon us and treat us unfairly. What if sport cars, fancy jewelry, and clothing was a way to make society work hard in school in order to be successful?

Through my experience, Elementary school and Middle school was a easier time but when high school started it was a whole different ball game it was equal behavior between students and teachers but as the days, months, and years progressed things started to change. I went to Richmond Hill High School in Queens which had many mixed reviews, more bad rather than good. My experience there wasn’t actually bad like they were perceived to be. But there is always that one teacher that gave up and doesn’t care about teaching anymore and takes it out on the students. Many teachers don’t enjoy their jobs because students are focused on passing the class and not really caring about learning but you can’t blame us we are afraid to fail in this society so we have to turn to cheating to succeed. It seems that Richmond Hill High School was perceived to be a horribly bad school and that all the students that went or go there is mischievous and looking for trouble rather than knowing who we really are. Many teachers get the wrong perception of students of how they look and dress because it tells them more than they really know. Students usually get treated and judged upon by who they surround themselves with  rather than knowing them.

In his article “Against School”, John Taylor Gatto point of view shows how the American schooling system seems childish. John Taylor Gatto thinks he can bring out the best qualities in students by giving them a reason to make decisions and take risks from time to time rather than teaching them the basic information they already know. According to John Gatto, the key problem of schooling is boredom which raises a question, “Do we really need schooling?” Gatto informs the readers that students would be interested in learning if they were given an “education” and not“schooling”. The American schooling system seems more like a daily routine which doesn’t help kids develop and grow, to some they feel forced to go to school rather than following their true dreams. John Gatto believes the American schooling system is made for profits for the economy. The main reason schooling was made was to train everyone to be the same. The schooling system manipulates us by determining our social roles. Kids are being fed with necessary and unnecessary information and they are not thinking on their own.

          John Taylor  Gatto makes a distinction between “education” and “schooling.” The difference is that “schooling”is something that kids have to do for twelve years, and five days a week for nine months and “education” is only if a kid really wants to (2). Is it possible that George W. Bush accidentally spoke the truth when he said we would “leave no child behind” (2), students want to be motivated to be encouraged to have the qualities to succeed in life they don’t want to feel like they were forced to learn material that society thinks they have to. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women (5), which shows the solution that we should be able to manage our life ourselves rather than depending on anyone. We could encourage the best qualities of the youthfulness- curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight by being more flexible about time, texts, and testing (1), these methods would be more meaningful for a students learning life span that would help them grow, develop, and succeed.

       On the other hand, Robert Leamnson article “Your First Job” informs his audience on the difference between the two components of learning and understanding. “So it is that we can understand something quite clearly, and some time later not be able to remember what it was we understood” (3) which shows we didn’t keep the information we learned because we feel like we don’t need it in everyday life. For example, if you watch a movie or show and time passes, you would remember what you watched because it had a real life scenario that affected you or it had a meaningful experience. “The reason something must be said about so commonplace a thing as the classroom is that too many students see it incorrectly and so they waste a highly valuable occasion for learning” (3), many students see the classroom like a jail cell that has you locked away from society with no place to move or be free. In other words there’s no space for a student to spread his wings and fly independently and show their true worth.

          They need experiences to keep succeeding in life, and the only way to gain this knowledge is to learn about life, to see and experience how to manage them in life. In conclusion I agree with Gatto’s and Leamnson’s argument because I believe that most students can relate to their points about education in their articles “Against Schools” and “Learning”.  

Citations:

Gatto, John. “Against Schools.” Against School – John Taylor Gatto, 2003, www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm.

Leamnson, Robert. Learning . 2002, www1.udel.edu/CIS/106/iaydin/07F/misc/firstJob.pdf.

 

 

Nina Darbonne

Dr. Carrie Hall

English Comp 1 1101-D355

21 February 2019

Pocket Guide to Fending Off Consumer Zombies in School Systems

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. Based on my experiences, the entire school system is not flawed. Society creates problems which trickle into schools and teachers are then expected to make an effort to combat the issues that arise. Conversely, according to John Taylor Gatto public schools are failing the mission. John Taylor Gatto, an award winning teacher in New York, 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 become 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 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.” (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 teachers 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 chance of getting extra credit or a gift card was more than enough to capture the attention of the entire class. On several occasions, I found myself reeled back into lessons after zoning out giving more thought to impending lunch over the “golden nuggets of wisdom” tumbling out of my teacher’s mouth. I can recall the moment in my education that sparked my curiosity and effectively tethered me to Science. An interest that made obtaining my Bachelor’s of Science in Biology truly a labor of love. Sophomore year of high school, my Chemistry teacher converted lab class into a veritable fireworks display conveying the whimsical applications of the Science.

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 seem unattainable without the “twelve-year wringer” as a adequate base to build upon. School systems, teachers in particular can help spark curiosity in a given subject by escaping the humdrum routines. Whether it’s bringing the lesson to life in new and unexpected ways or offering incentives to ignite passion in the material. Consumerism is practically unavoidable; however stressing the importance of schoolwork and morality may be enough to keep the “gullible, mindless consumers” at bay in schools.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

Hi everyone! For Thursday, read and annotate “Learning, Your First Job.” I handed it out in class– but if you didn’t get it, you can find it HERE. Please remember that annotation means I want you to mark the text up– write in the margins like you’re talking to the guy. If you disagree, say so! If you think something is really interesting, also say so!

Please do make sure that you mark 4-5 passages (1-3 sentences long) that really stand out to you. This will help you for Thursday’s homework.

Also, we will be doing some writing in class on Thursday– you won’t be graded on it, but it is required.

 

Hello and welcome to 11o1. This is the website where you will find in-depth descriptions of your homework assignments, and also where you will post many of your assignments. Make sure you check here daily.

Also! Please make sure you join this OpenLab site as soon as possible. Your homework on Thursday will be to post something on the site, and you must join the class to do so.

To join, just click “Course Profile” (above) and then click “Join this class!” under the avatar of the robot hand on the welcome screen.