Gatto uses this example of knowledge to prove his point that not every successful child went to school. A second time Gatto uses exemplification is when he is explaining his own experience in the school system as a teacher. He remembers that “my own experience had revealed to me what many other teachers must learn along the way, too, yet keep to themselves for fear of reprisal: if we wanted to we could easily and inexpensively jettison the old, stupid structures and help kids take an education rather than merely receive a schooling”. He uses this personal lesson from life to convey that children are only obeying what they are being told, only learning what they need to in order to escape the prison called school. In an example from his childhood, Gatto remembers talking with his grandfather and he “complained to him of boredom, and he batted me hard on the head.
Will children be educated enough to understand when making self-serving, society-serving or morally-based decisions, or is today’s educational criteria a form of brainwashing to help our current government stay in power? “Conflict theorists argue that the real purpose of the public school system is to reproduce and maintain the existing class structure in our society.” (123) In several sections of the book, I disagreed with the notion that education best serves society; I believe it should be the other way
But if we are a country of democracy why should someone be forced into reciting or doing something they don’t feel believe in. I think the schools should write their own pledge relating to the education side of things. Having your own voice and being heard is a big part of our culture today. I think the children who didn’t recite the Pledge were somewhat outcaste. So the kids who didn’t say it were perfectly identified as different.
It is for the purpose of labeling peers and deciphering which children are inferior, it is the social aspect of schooling. Lastly, the propaedeutic function teaches a minimal amount of children to manage the population to that the government can continue without being challenged. Initially I was taken aback while reading Gatto’s article, particularly in regards to Inglis six functions but upon further review and digging deep into my own personal experiences with the public education system, predominantly looking at my years spent in high school I would say there are some sad realities behind theses six
In our school we have children with dyslexia and with speaking/language problems who need extra support however they still contribute in full time lessons with other children who help them. To summarize: ⦁ in school every child is treated equally ⦁ every child has right to learn ⦁ every school must eliminate discrimination among students because every child must be free from every form of discrimination ⦁ thanks to
He quotes H.L. Mencken (April 1924) who says that schooling aims to “reduce students to a standard safe level.” He criticizes the Prussian system which America adopted from Germany as the worst since it is designed to produce mediocre intellects, to hamstring the inner life, to deny students appreciable leadership skills, and ensure docile and incomplete citizens -all in order to render the populace “manageable. He challenges people to identify the ills of modern schooling and chose to do the opposite- teach kids to think critically and independently, help our kids to develop inner dialogue in order to overcome boredom and urge them to take up serious material like history, literature, philosophy, music, art, theology and economics. His solution is simple and glorious; “let [children] manage themselves”
As the Nazis, the Soviets, and the Chinese knew, the best time to shape a person’s beliefs is when they are young and impressionable. And that is exactly what our education system knows. They understand that children, especially teenagers, are rebellious by nature and that good or even great parenting is not enough to counteract their teachings. This is why Common Core jam packed their curriculum standards with content to make children shy away from the belief that “Mommy is always right” and instead put that belief in that “Teacher is always right.” Sandy Conrad, who quite her 8th grade teaching position shortly after her school adopted the Common Core State Standards, says, this “brainwash” was evident in multiply scenarios that she had to teach and deal with. She says, “if a student says that something is not the same as what their parents have told them, we were instructed to tell them that mom and dad are wrong.” The standards also enforce the practice and teaching of homosexuality.
Diversity is positive and should be respected and valued because nobody is completely the same as anyone else. Telling them that being different from everyone else makes us unique, and that we must value the diversity and differences that surround us, in order to work together to make our society a positive place to live. Equality is often defined as treating everyone the same. But I believe true equality means treating everyone differently in order to accomplish equality. In childcare every child has the right to equality of opportunity; it means each child would be given the same chances as each other to achieve all aspects of learning.
The Sadker’s open their “Hidden Lessons” work by stating that “it is difficult to detect sexism unless you know precisely how to observe it” (Sadker, and Sadker 55). It is clear that the authors feel that sexism and biasing are current issues and happening but being left unattended by school administrators across the country. The article uses the uneven distribution of time that the teachers give the male students over the female students as their prime example of favoritism. They formed their conclusions after sampling classroom activities in a leading Washington D.C. private school and used a statistical system as a model to hypothesize outcomes in other areas of the country. In addition to the Sadker’s sampling evidence and their conclusions; they also expose asymmetric teacher-pupil interaction instances where teachers use female students as props while the boys are allowed to dominate the lecture discussion.
Kent J. Fetzer expressed, “Our biggest problem with a school uniform policy is the anti-individuality message it sends.” He feels students lose their freedom when forced to conform to only certain apparels. He believes in letting students experience freedom in order to learn how to act responsibly. I strongly believe teens need to learn how to act responsibly at a young age to develop skills for the future, but I refuse to believe that uniforms take away individuality. In contrast to Fetzer’s beliefs, Mike Kelly proclaimed, "Uniforms instill discipline, help students focus on their studies and eliminate pressure on parents to outfit their kids." He believes uniforms help parents as well as the students.