Gatto’s article addresses his belief that schools are in essence laboratories, turning young, fresh minded individuals into conformists. In todays educational system, students are being controlled by curriculums that are of no interest, and in certain circumstances, of no use to them. Even still, their lack of enthusiasm and inherent boredom is deemed as their own fault. Not the fault of the teachers, the administrators, or the publishers, but the fault of the young individuals attempting to learn something about the world. Gatto delves deeper into his claim that the school system “divides children by subject, by age grading, by constant rankings on tests, and by many other more subtle means…” (36). My junior year, I had the opportunity to tutor students and be a teacher’s assistant in underfunded and underprivileged schools in different parts of Seattle. My two years there were some of the most eye opening, yet heartbreaking moments of my high school experience. Boredom was rampant, and it was apparent that many of the students wanted to be anywhere but locked in a classroom for six hours. As I began reaching out to students and learning about their lives, I came to understand that many were serious about bettering their education, but they came from troubled pasts- criminal records, bad grades, failed classes ect… As Gatto mentions, they were held back due the “evidence mathematically and anecdotally on cumulative records” (36). Therefore, no matter how badly these students wanted to turn around their situation, opportunities were closed to them because of their failed classes or previous bad grades. In addition, the students were taught to conform, not to try to achieve something outside their comfort zone. As Gatto discusses in “the differentiating function”, they were discouraged from achieving, it was all about “doing just enough”. In today’s society, it is shocking to see the lack of critical analysis done in schools, as we are now, more than ever, susceptible to believing external forces. Propaganda and marketing companies are omnipresent, and by not teaching our kids to truly think for themselves, they are like “a herd of mindless consumers…. left like sitting ducks for…. marketing” (37). Like many aspects of society, education is a business. Publishers compete for book releases, and educational boards are always convincing schools to adopt their curriculums. This, combined with corruption/subjectivity within the educational system excludes and disempowers a large group of people. Is it possible to create an educational system that encompasses everyone, and all their diversity, or will a certain group always be disadvantaged and excluded?