We don't need no thought control Here's an interesting interview about radical education reform:
"We need to kill the poison plant we created," Gatto has written. "School reform is not enough. The notion of schooling itself must be challenged." His alternative: to get rid of institutional mass-production schools, allow every imaginable experiment to blossom, make free public libraries universal, and expand hands-on apprenticeships. I don't agree with everything the guy says, but I do agree that the public school system needs a serious shake-up.
3 comments Here is another interview with Gatto: http://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm
I find him fascinating, not because I agree with everything he says, but because he has the courage to "fight the power" so to speak. At times I am positively giddy about teaching young people some day in the near future, while at others I worry about what influence teachers can have in resurrecting a school system which rewards conformity and supresses independent thought. I only hope I can make my future students excited about going to school, rather than seeing school as an impediment to activities they would rather be doing. | | |
| The public school system is often criticized significantly for rewarding “conformity” and suppressing “independent thought.” This, however, is an enormous mistake and an extremely unfortunate view that many who do not teach take. It is often not the school, nor the school board that is to blame, but the teachers themselves. Despite what many think, we teachers are not confined to some shadowy, unexplained curriculum. We are able to take numerous liberties. Many teachers do not, though. This is one considerable problem. Also, those who do take liberties might be leading their students down the wrong path, so to speak. This, by the way, has always been a highly debated topic amongst teachers. I believe that one of the greatest challenges for us is to strike a balance between what they should be learning, what they need to be learning, and having them think outside the box. I have also taught in the private system and, while I can only speak for one particular school, it rewarded conformity far more than any school I have ever taught at in the public system. The best, most successful and most highly praised teachers are those who take their students beyond the walls of their classrooms, away from the confines of the school and attempt to connect them to the world at large. A challenge, no doubt. Those teachers who fail to do this experience very troubled groups. And let’s not forget about our colleges and universities. They’re the epitome of the cookie-cutter idea. | | |
| I almost forgot to mention that the parents are a huge factor in all this. We must not forget that one's learning begins in the home. It is not so much the school system that is failing our kids today, it's us. | | |
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