Having gone through the school system for the last twelve years, I feel inclined to defend the “system,” because accepting Gatto’s arguments against schooling would mean that I am merely a dumb, dependent child instead of an independent adult. However, I do see some truth in his essay, based on my experience in the meritocratic school system. The competition among students for grades, various awards, and distinction does divide them and breed the “trivializing emotions of greed, envy, jealousy, and fear” (Gatto 38). Moreover, the assessment of study material rewards those who simply regurgitate information and punishes those who challenge existing knowledge or authority. In this way, schools produce kids happy to take in information as it is given to them, without questioning or processing it. I think, or at least would like to believe that institutions like Williams try to combat these effects of school. Its seminars and tutorials foster critical thinking and discussion. The lecture classes are more akin to the system, but perhaps they are necessary to enable participation in thoughtful discussion. Our class is certainly far from Gatto’s idea of school because it encourages me to challenge traditional notions of politics and even the professor, the supposed authority figure. More importantly, it does not have any mindless assessments. Further proof is that Williams and our class would not allow students to read this essay if they wanted to reinforce Gatto’s claims.
Introduction to Comparative Politics: Nationalism, Ideology, and State Power
Professor Shervin Malekzadeh
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I certainly agree that my first reaction to Gatto’s article was a defensive one, fearing that I might be a product of the system that Gatto describes. Yet clearly that can’t completely be true, since that exact system has led me to taking this class (and thus reading his argument) as you describe. So in that sense, I certainly agree that this class (and perhaps Williams) does not fall into the same system that Gatto describes. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily say that Williams as a whole does not share aspects of the system that Gatto describes. The school obviously has an emphasis on grades (what college doesn’t) but furthermore is infamous for being an institution where students are studying non-stop and are constantly swamped in work. Sure, much of this work is stimulating and exciting material, but I find it difficult to argue that constantly having to work on problem sets is creatively stimulating.