4.47/5
Author: John Taylor Gatto
Publication Date: May 19, 2017
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover,Kindle,Audible Audiobook,Mass Market Paperback,Audio CD
Rating: 4.47/5 out of 6420
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Want to find out why is it important to have a good relationship with parents? Or simply how to improve your relationship? Check out our top books reviews for Family Relationships, Parenting, Family Activities,Special Needs and so much more. Find answers about Dumbing Us Down -25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - 25th Anniversary Edition by John Taylor Gatto and only download it when you feel like it. Read&Download Dumbing Us Down -25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - 25th Anniversary Edition by John Taylor Gatto Online
Throw off the shackles of formal schooling and
embark upon a rich journey of self-directed, life-long learning
After over 100 years of mandatory schooling in the
U.S., literacy rates have dropped, families are fragmented, learning
"disabilities" are skyrocketing, and children and youth are increasingly
disaffected. Thirty years of teaching in the public school system led
John Taylor Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental
schooling is to blame, accomplishing little but to teach young people to
follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine.
He became a
fierce advocate of families and young people taking back education and
learning, arguing that "genius is as common as dirt," but that
conventional schooling is driving out the natural curiosity and
problem-solving skills we're born with, replacing it with
rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment.
Gatto's
radical treatise on public education, a New Society Publishers
bestseller for 25 years, continues to bang the drum for an unshackling
of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an
ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes
to learning, it's poised to continue to shake the world of
institutional education for many more years.
Featuring a new
foreword from Zachary Slayback, an Ivy League dropout and cofounder of
tech start-up career foundry Praxis, this 25th anniversary edition will
inspire new generations of parents and students to take control of
learning and kickstart an empowered society of self-directed
lifetime-learners.
Apr 06, 2008
Before reading this book I really thought I was 100% sure about my reasons to homeschool. Boy, was I wrong. I guess I was only half way there because now that I have finished this book, I realize that I never really saw the harms of the public school system 100%.Jun 03, 2008
This book gets a big "meh" from me. First of all, it's not so much a book as a group of essays. And I had to laugh when I opened the book and the print was freaking 18 point. (Like maybe we're not bright enough to follow along with typical 12 point print?)Nov 25, 2015
Wow, this read really had me questioning our educational system. Informative and fast read!Sep 01, 2013
I checked this book out after a friend recommended John Taylor Gatto to me after an argument on a Facebook thread that started with a post about how we seem to be producing people who have contempt for science and reason.Oct 17, 2007
While worth reading as an wake up call to all who think the only problem with our educational system is that it needs more money it should be taken with a grain of salt, or rather a slat block. Gatto is correct that schools act as mainly propaganda for the elite class and he may even be correct that compulsory education should not be the law of the land. (At least at the high school level) What he is not not good at is showing the whole picture.Feb 04, 2013
Ugh, this book may have brought on my mid-life crisis. Not because Gatto is wrong, but because he's right. The education system isn't just broken, it's taking completely the wrong approach. It's designed to kill the spirit of enquiry.Apr 29, 2007
Don't read this if you have or plan on having children that you won't be able to home-school, but a must read for everyone els. This is a damning indictment against the public school system written by none other than a teacher who lived it. Sure to cause riots once more people realize that twelve to thirteen years of their lives were utterly wasted.Feb 18, 2008
This was an excellent book written by a NY teacher of the year who taught for 26 years in the "government controlled monopoly school system". It is an eye opener that what is needed is less money, not more. More choices, more freedoms, more time with children home, more time for children to be children, allowing them to learn HOW to think, not WHAT to think. Interesting to learn that the literacy rate in colonial America was close to total, and hasnt been that high since just before the Civil This was an excellent book written by a NY teacher of the year who taught for 26 years in the "government controlled monopoly school system". It is an eye opener that what is needed is less money, not more. More choices, more freedoms, more time with children home, more time for children to be children, allowing them to learn HOW to think, not WHAT to think. Interesting to learn that the literacy rate in colonial America was close to total, and hasnt been that high since just before the Civil War when compulsory schooling (government monopoly schooling) began. (An 1850's 5th grade math textbook would today be considered college level). The 7 lessons kids are learning that he talks about in the first chapter were a definate eye opener. I would dare say they are lessons no parent would wish their children to "learn". ...moreSep 10, 2019
Dumbing us down is a short book by John Taylor Gatto. There have only been two books this year that upon finishing I was so impressed and blown away by that I felt the desire to reopen immediately and read again. The first was mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and now this here little gem dumbing us down. I’ve read plenty of great books this year already however when it comes to identifying certain books as essential and must reads for everyone, that is more rare. Some qualifiers for this year are Dumbing us down is a short book by John Taylor Gatto. There have only been two books this year that upon finishing I was so impressed and blown away by that I felt the desire to reopen immediately and read again. The first was mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and now this here little gem dumbing us down. I’ve read plenty of great books this year already however when it comes to identifying certain books as essential and must reads for everyone, that is more rare. Some qualifiers for this year are as follows, there are three. When it comes to thinking deeply about Christianity, Mere Christianity is a must read for every single Christian on the planet, in my opinion. War and Peace absolutely blew my mind when it came to how epic a book could be and the philosophy of history located at the end of the book; mind blowing. And now when it comes to education dumbing us down is a certified masterpiece, the type of book you recommend without hesitation, the type you buy a few copies of and find people to give them to. Certain books just catch you off guard, you open the first page unprepared as to what you will find hidden within. What I found within the pages ofMay 26, 2017
A for effort, A for anecdote. I found much relatable to my own experience and ideas. Although undoubtedly Libertarian in thesis I think there is something for everyone within the pages of this book if you give it a chance, regardless of your political affiliations. While written over two and a half decades ago it's not hard to draw parallels with the culture and dysfunction Gatto describes in his book with that of today.May 03, 2013
Wow I just wrote a thoughtful and brilliant review of this book and then pushed the wrong button and lost. I will try to recap my brilliance. I just sat down and read this book this afternoon while watching my kids play at the park and in the yard and it was amazing and powerful. I am truly moved in ways that are uncomfortable. Do not read this book unless you are prepared to feel extremely uncomfortable with the statues quo of the educational system in this country. Before reading this I had Wow I just wrote a thoughtful and brilliant review of this book and then pushed the wrong button and lost. I will try to recap my brilliance. I just sat down and read this book this afternoon while watching my kids play at the park and in the yard and it was amazing and powerful. I am truly moved in ways that are uncomfortable. Do not read this book unless you are prepared to feel extremely uncomfortable with the statues quo of the educational system in this country. Before reading this I had already made the decision to begin homeschooling my children this fall, but after reading this book fall can't come soon enough. Be prepared for a completely out-of-the box approach to fixing educational problems and to open your mind and really question education, the purpose, the approach, the results, and so forth. This will make your head spin.Mar 24, 2008
Excellent. As with all my favourite books, I have lent it out and it is still out there! This book is proof that home educators are not obsessive nutcases, as he provides inside information on schooling in New York which spanned over 30 years. When I first got this book it followed me everywhere until I had finished it, even into the bath. This author can share my bath anytime, as long as I don't drop the book in, of course!Jun 17, 2008
No other book has shaped my view about public school as much as this one. Gatto's analysis of the damage done to a student's curiosity is so incisive as to wake any educated parent to our failing school system.Feb 16, 2009
Author John Taylor Gatto is a two-time NYC Teacher of the Year whose treatise here takes exception to the quality of compulsory public education in America. He suggests that public education’s primary purpose these days seems to be the perpetuating the institution of public education. I can see his point here. As with most government programs, once they get rolling, you can add to them, you can tweak them, but you’re never going to blow them up, even if you’d like to start over from scratch.May 02, 2014
Brilliant summation about the fatal flaws of Modern EducationJul 26, 2008
Written by a man that taught in the monopoly called public school system, won awards for it, and lists what he taught;Sep 26, 2012
I so appreciate Gatto's courage to write this book, even if at times I am put off my his brashness. But, if anybody is to know the real intention of America's schools it is this man, with over 30 years of public school teaching, and a fair shake of rule breaking to see what his students were really capable of. The "7 Lesson School Teacher" is the real gem of this book, although his other chapters have something to gain from too.Sep 17, 2016
There was a pink dog called Courage. Like it happens sometimes, he also fell in a day of mistakes. Then a black frock dressed proud lady came, to give him ' perfection classes'. He couldn't talk, walk, create pictures ,sleep , brush perfectly. Full of terrible dreams which made his eyes very red, he went to the washroom. A green fish saw him and said : courage, you are beautiful, as you are with all the imperfections.you can do anything. His fear departed. He was gleeful again. The teacher There was a pink dog called Courage. Like it happens sometimes, he also fell in a day of mistakes. Then a black frock dressed proud lady came, to give him ' perfection classes'. He couldn't talk, walk, create pictures ,sleep , brush perfectly. Full of terrible dreams which made his eyes very red, he went to the washroom. A green fish saw him and said : courage, you are beautiful, as you are with all the imperfections.you can do anything. His fear departed. He was gleeful again. The teacher vanished. Alas! Not Everyone gets awakened to our own unique discoveries.Jun 02, 2015
Absolutely outstanding! Must read! I have been hearing about this book in all of my 14 years of home education and can't believe I waited so long to read it.Sep 01, 2015
John Taylor Gatto is one wise man. He has capture many sentiments that I would have never be able to materialize into words. The 7 lessons taught cracked me up because they are so spot on and obvious yet no one else has spoken up like Mr. Gatto.Nov 12, 2010
This guy really hits the nail on the head. This book is definitely worth reading if you care at all about the education of your children.Apr 11, 2008
After reading this book I was reassured that homeschooling my children was the best answer. The author is a teacher, and writes why he feels the school system is failing our children and our family. He is very big on interacting as a community rather than a network. He mentions things that had happened in the past, as far back as the time of Plato. The last chapter, did focus on religion, which made me a little uneasy. If it wasn't for that, then I would have given this book 5 stars. I would After reading this book I was reassured that homeschooling my children was the best answer. The author is a teacher, and writes why he feels the school system is failing our children and our family. He is very big on interacting as a community rather than a network. He mentions things that had happened in the past, as far back as the time of Plato. The last chapter, did focus on religion, which made me a little uneasy. If it wasn't for that, then I would have given this book 5 stars. I would recommend this book to every parent that is interested in the best way to help their children grow and learn. ...moreJan 10, 2013
Gatto seemed to me at first, a bit to polemical and unbalanced, but I still thought he made some excellent observations. The content was definitely thought provoking and worthy of consideration. But now I listened to the audiobook again, he seemed increasingly reasonable and sound to me.Sep 21, 2011
I didn't expect to fall in love with this book, but I also didn't expect to be so put off by it. The best part of this book is that it was short. That is the only reason I finished it. The author spends 100 pages ranting about the horrors of public schools. It's funny because I was thinking to myself, "it sounds like this guy is blaming public education for all the problems in this world." and then at the very end of the book he say's, "This system doesn't work, and it's one of the causes of our I didn't expect to fall in love with this book, but I also didn't expect to be so put off by it. The best part of this book is that it was short. That is the only reason I finished it. The author spends 100 pages ranting about the horrors of public schools. It's funny because I was thinking to myself, "it sounds like this guy is blaming public education for all the problems in this world." and then at the very end of the book he say's, "This system doesn't work, and it's one of the causes of our world coming apart." The other cause, according to him, is television.May 03, 2014
Not bad, but not great, either. For such a short book, there's a hell of a lot of repetition in it. Nearly everything this author has to say gets said in the first chapter; the rest is just other speeches in which he expounds the virtues of small-town life or goes into anecdotes or repeats "school sucks" with different words.Take your time and choose the perfect book.
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