“Against School”

As I read this piece it was hard to not compare with my own educational experience. Gatto argue that schools are mere laboratories where the incompetence of the teacher is trickled down to the student. However, this argument is merely situational. The teacher makes the student. In Gatto’s case, the boring, conforming methods in which he was taught in school makes his case valid. Yet In a case such as mine in high school I had teachers who had written books, taught in college, and genuinely cared about my understanding of the material. I had office hours, review sessions, after class questions and discussions that prepared me for the exact kind of education I would “receive” here at Williams.

Although, Gatto makes a good point about individuality within the confines of education. He says, “We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness-curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.” (Page 34) It is certainly smart to promote curiosity and adventure while in school. These children are beginning to take interest in certain subjects and aspects of life that will evolve into passions and maybe even careers. Therefore, for the educational system to promote the ability to explore these things through risk and adventure only fosters good. However at the same time I think it is crucial to understand discipline and order. Gatto fails to understand that flexible test times and homework will only create laziness. Where there should be flexibility is in texts, as he mentions, within readings and their interpretation, leaving kids with the free will to believe whats in their mind and heart rather than whats written on the chalk board.

Lastly, Gatto questions whether or not the bureaucratic educational system is needed. He exclaims that the five day schedule is obsolete, arguing the difference between unschooled and uneducated. In my opinion, the schooling system may be far too constant, grueling and often unneeded but the community serves as a microcosm of real life. Friends deceiving friends, teachers picking favorites, and all in all the social testing that occurs in high school is pretty crucial to the maturity of individuals. School isn’t about learning the formulas or memorizing the historic dates, but about learning how to listen, how to take notes, and how to swim in the social deep end that is high school.

16 thoughts on ““Against School”

  1. Ho scoperto di recente l’app Win Unique e volevo raccontarvela brevemente. La qualità del software e l’affidabilità dei risultati sono garantite. Le recensioni degli utenti sono per lo più positive, elogiando l’eccellente grafica, la velocità dell’assistenza clienti italiana e la generale facilità d’uso della piattaforma. Nonostante alcuni suggerimenti per migliorare i tempi di prelievo e semplificare le regole promozionali, il livello di soddisfazione complessivo rende Win Unique una scelta affidabile nel settore online.https://unique-casino-it-wip.com/mob-app/

  2. “Against School” raises powerful points about how traditional education can sometimes limit creativity and independence. Kind of like how BeautyPlus lets you enhance a photo your own way, real learning should let students explore and grow freely.

  3. However at the same time I think it is crucial to understand discipline and order. Gatto fails to understand that flexible viriyasolar test times and homework will only create laziness.

  4. However at the same time I think it is crucial to understand discipline and order. Gatto fails to understand that flexible viriyasolar test times and homework will only create laziness.

  5. I like to use online resources to help me in my studies. I especially need it when it comes to my papers, so I often use writing platform a lot – it’s a perfect place for students who don’t understand the requirements. I think I’ll use this resource today too.

  6. It is not always easy to cope with all academic tasks on your own, which is why you need to choose a resource that you can trust to perform even the most difficult tasks. I paid attention to https://paperspoint.com/ , this resource offers a wide range of services, including writing essays, research papers, reports, case studies and much more. I turned to them when I needed help with a few projects and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Their experts created papers that fully met my requirements and academic standards. The whole process was very convenient: from placing the order to receiving the finished materials.

  7. I’m a big fan of the last paragraph. Gatto fails to address all of the abstract learning that occurs simply by being present in a school community. Invaluable social skills are learned that would not materialize if students didn’t engage in some sort of learning system. I think this is a crucial loophole in Gatto’s argument — how can children learn to be contributing members of society without being exposed to this microcosm of it?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *