I just can’t do it. I tried, I really tried. I read the first few pages, then I skimmed the rest. I can’t read it in depth. It’s too depressing. It’s also the longest chapter in the book. That alone says enough.
This was the paragraph that pushed me over the edge and killed my will to continue.
By the end of 1999, 75.5 million people out of a total population of 275 million were involved directly in providing and receiving what has come to be called education. And an unknown number of millions indirectly. About 67 million were enrolled in schools and colleges (38 million in K-8, 14 million in secondary schools, 15 million in colleges,) 4 million employed as teachers or college faculty (2 million elementary; 2 million secondary and college combined), and 4.5 million in some other school capacity. In other words, the primary organizing discipline of about 29 percent of the entire U.S. population consists of obedience to the routines and requests of an abstract social machine called School.
{ 4 } Comments
Skipping ahead to the next section/chapter is perfectly ok. I do it all the time. Even though I read ahead (in Gatto), I’ve still really enjoyed having you do this, seeing what you picked out to quote and your comments on it. I think you’ve done an excellent job of summarizing the chapters.
Yes, it is depressing. There are 2 things I’ve found positive in reading Gatto. First, I’ve set my kids free of that and knew even before I read Gatto that I was doing something great for them. Second, when I wake from a really vivid dream, I know that it was a dream. And while what Gatto talks about is quite real, until the last few years, in some ways, I was living in a dream. Now I think I’m awake.
I understand exactly what you mean. I’ve been somewhat surprised at how much of this I sort of instinctly knew, even if I couldn’t really put it into words.
The interesting question is why me? I was educated in DoD schools and went to a big public university where I learned that Frederick Taylor is a genius, and that scientific management enabled our great standard of living.
There is nothing in my upbringing or education that would predict my rejection of the system.
If it could have been predicted, they would have found some way to stamp it out.
I graduated HS with honours and top of my class in college which in hindsight might have suggested that I was the least likely to break from the system.
Even though we’ve been at the HS along time, I’m still not sure of the answer to why me?
for such a time as this…