Summary Of John Gatto Against School

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John Gatto’s “Against School” is a persuasive essay arguing both the ineffectiveness and negative outcomes of today’s public school system. Not only does Gatto provide credibility with his experience as a teacher, but he also presents evidence that suggests that the public school system is an outdated structure, originally meant to dumb down students as well as program them to be obedient pawns in society. Fact and authority alone do not supplement his argument. Gatto also uses emotional appeals, such as fear and doubt, to tear down the reader’s trust in the schooling system. He also offers suggestions to make the educational system more efficient at the hands of positive reinforcement and the employment of more motivated teachers. He truly…show more content…
He also explores this concept of the question if school is really as necessary as we make it. Gatto expresses how that students and teachers are both bored because students are being taught information that they already know, while teachers are bored because they feel that the students have bad attitudes and don't want to learn but just want good grades. Throughout all my years of school, it is true that many students do find themselves bored in many classroom settings. I wasn’t bored with the material but the way the instructor had presented the information. The key for students to understand and gain knowledge rest within the hands of all teachers at any grade level. Having teachers that are passionate with teaching are able to boost not only their students interest but grades of the overall class has a whole. While I attended San Marino High School I had a handful of the staff rely on the fact that San Marino students actually study under the watchful eyes of our helicopter parents. If teachers were willing to go to all measures in hopes of making sure not one kid was left behind not knowing the lesson of the day, many would enjoy gaining knowledge. The author tells us his own experience as a student and as a school teacher and felt the…show more content…
I believe that the education system in America is making students and teachers only comfort society and the government and that is why they get bored easily. I believe that students need more than just a school system that tells teacher what to teach. I really think that students need the skills to succeed and to survive throughout life. They need experiences to keep succeeding in life, and the only way to gain this knowledge is to learn about life, to see and experience how to manage them in life. This is a very well presented article which goes in depth of the education today. Gatto was able to make his readers feel the pros and cons of the system and gave clear insight to what is important in the system; it is the children themselves and not the curriculum. Sometimes, I felt, as I know many other friends of mine felt, that as I got older, not all of the subjects I was forced to take were as relevant or useful to me. When teens are in high school, the subjects they take are still very much controlled when, at this age, many teens already have an idea for a career path. The number of years that is what is expected for education has increased over time. It does not seem like the number of years in school would directly result in better, more intelligent workers. People have different goals and interests. It should not be required that every student take the same subjects if they ultimately want to
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