Notes on Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

notes
education
history
My notes from the book Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto.
Author

Christian Mills

Published

March 10, 2024

These notes are part of the following collection:

Education

Book LInks:

Preface

John Taylor Gatto, a New York City school teacher with thirty years of experience, shares insights from his career, especially focusing on the hidden curriculum of compulsory schooling. His background in both elite environments and underprivileged areas provides a broad perspective on the educational system. Gatto questions the conventional wisdom about education, intelligence, and the role of schools in society, suggesting that the current system may inhibit natural genius and promote dependency.

Key Concepts

  • Hidden Curriculum: The unintended lessons taught in schools that reinforce societal norms and expectations, often at the expense of individuality and critical thinking.
  • Compulsory Schooling Critique: Gatto challenges the effectiveness and intentions behind compulsory schooling, suggesting it might dull creativity and intelligence.
  • Personal Autonomy in Learning: Advocates for education that respects privacy, choice, and freedom from constant surveillance, allowing children to explore their innate talents and interests.

Ideas

  • Schools often function more to control than to educate, fostering dependency rather than critical thinking or self-reliance.
  • Genius is common, and the educational system’s structure may prevent it from emerging.
  • The real job of a teacher might be less about imparting knowledge and more about removing obstacles to learning.
  • The economy and societal structure heavily influence the education system, potentially to the detriment of fostering truly educated individuals.
  • Gatto employs unconventional teaching methods aimed at empowering students rather than confining them to standard educational trajectories.

Noteworthy Facts

  • Gatto has taught in a diverse range of environments, from affluent areas to impoverished neighborhoods, providing him with a unique perspective on the educational system.
  • Despite initial resistance, Gatto’s approach focuses on individual learning paths, challenging traditional schooling methods.
  • His philosophy is influenced by his upbringing in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, where community and self-reliance were valued.

Practical Implications

  • Gatto’s insights suggest a need for educational reform that values individual student growth, autonomy, and critical thinking over conformity and memorization.
  • There could be significant societal and economic impacts if schools shift focus from enforcing a hidden curriculum to nurturing independent, critical thinkers.
  • Educators and policymakers might need to reconsider the structure and goals of compulsory schooling to better serve diverse student needs and potentials.

Recommendations

  • Schools should minimize surveillance and strict control, instead offering environments that encourage exploration and self-directed learning.
  • Educators should focus on removing barriers to learning, rather than solely on delivering content, to help reveal students’ inherent capabilities.
  • The educational system must critically evaluate the impact of its hidden curriculum and work towards an approach that genuinely supports student empowerment and autonomy.

The Seven-Lesson School Teacher

John Taylor Gatto, upon being named “New York State Teacher of the Year” in 1991, delivers a speech that critiques the fundamental nature of compulsory schooling. He argues that the system teaches seven harmful lessons which are not explicitly stated in the curriculum but are deeply ingrained in the schooling process. These lessons include confusion, class position, indifference, emotional and intellectual dependency, provisional self-esteem, and the impossibility of hiding.

Gatto asserts that these lessons contribute to a lack of coherent understanding, perpetuate class divisions, foster dependency and compliance, undermine self-esteem, and invade privacy, ultimately preparing students to fit into a societal pyramid without questioning their place or the system.

Key Concepts

  • The Seven Lessons of Schooling: Confusion, class position, indifference, emotional dependency, intellectual dependency, provisional self-esteem, and the impossibility of hiding.
  • Critical View of Schooling: Gatto criticizes compulsory schooling for teaching compliance and conformity rather than critical thinking and independence.
  • Historical Context: References to the history of schooling in the United States, suggesting that the current system is a departure from a more individualized, less compulsory past.
  • Alternative Education Models: Mention of self-teaching and less formalized education systems as viable alternatives to compulsory schooling.

Ideas

  • The primary function of schooling is to indoctrinate rather than educate, preparing students to accept their place in the social hierarchy.
  • Compulsory schooling disrupts natural learning processes, promoting fragmentation and disconnection rather than understanding and coherence.
  • The structure of schooling promotes dependency on authority and discourages independent thought and self-determination.
  • The educational system’s focus on superficial metrics (grades, test scores) undermines genuine learning and self-esteem.
  • The pervasive surveillance and lack of privacy in schools reflect broader societal controls and diminish individual autonomy.

Noteworthy Facts

  • John Taylor Gatto was named “New York State Teacher of the Year” in 1991.
  • The concept of compulsory schooling as it exists today is relatively recent in human history, becoming widespread in the United States after the Civil War.
  • Historical literacy rates suggest that formal schooling is not necessary for basic education, as literacy was widespread even when schooling was not compulsory or widely available.
  • The traditional curriculum and teaching methods have remained largely unchanged despite significant societal and technological advances.

Recommendations

  • Encourage educational models that prioritize critical thinking, creativity, and independence over rote memorization and compliance.
  • Support alternative education systems that offer a more personalized and less compulsory approach to learning.
  • Advocate for the integration of real-world skills and knowledge into the curriculum, rather than abstract and disconnected facts.
  • Promote family and community involvement in education, reducing reliance on formal schooling as the sole source of learning.
  • Foster environments that respect students’ privacy and autonomy, encouraging self-discovery and personal growth.

The Psychopathic School

John Taylor Gatto highlights the issues with the current education system, presented during his acceptance speech for the New York City Teacher of the Year award by the New York State Senate on January 31, 1990. Gatto critiques the schooling system for its failure to truly educate, attributing societal and individual issues to the compulsory schooling system’s focus on obedience and conformity rather than fostering independence and critical thinking.

Key Concepts

  • Crisis in Education and Society: The linkage between the failing educational system and broader social crises, including high rates of narcotic consumption, teenage suicide, and divorce.
  • Irrelevance of Formal Education: The notion that formal education does not genuinely prepare individuals for real-world success or foster genuine knowledge and creativity.
  • Compulsory Schooling as a Mechanism for Control: The historical development of compulsory schooling as a means to manage and predict human behavior rather than educate.
  • Home Schooling as an Alternative: Evidence suggesting that home-schooled children may be significantly ahead of their peers in formal schooling in critical thinking abilities.
  • The Failure of Current Educational Reforms: The argument that more money and resources funneled into the existing educational system only perpetuate its fundamental flaws.

Ideas

  • The Need for a National Debate on Education: Gatto calls for a relentless, ongoing public debate to either fix or dismantle the current education system.
  • Redefining Educational Goals: Emphasizing the importance of defining clear, meaningful goals for education that go beyond mere schooling.
  • Family as the Core of Education: Proposing that true education should involve the family as a central element, encouraging learning through life experiences, community service, and independent study.

Recommendations

  • Promote Independent and Experiential Learning: Schools should encourage students to engage in independent study and real-world learning experiences.
  • Community Service as an Educational Tool: Integrating community service into the curriculum to teach responsibility, empathy, and social engagement.
  • Revitalize Family Involvement in Education: Advocating for educational models that strengthen family bonds and regard parents as primary educators.
  • National Dialogue on Education Reform: Urging for a grassroots movement to challenge and debate the current educational paradigms and explore innovative solutions.
  • Shift from Institutional to Individualized Education: Moving towards an education system that values individuality, self-reliance, and critical thinking over conformity and obedience.

Critical Analysis

  • Gatto’s critique underscores a profound disconnection between the aims of compulsory schooling and the genuine educational needs of individuals and society. His observations about the psychological and social effects of the current educational model highlight the urgency for reform.

The Green Monongahela

Chapter 3 reflects on Gatto’s journey from growing up in Monongahela to becoming a teacher in New York City. Gatto shares personal anecdotes from his childhood, emphasizing the informal education he received from the community and environment around the Monongahela River. He discusses his disillusionment with his advertising career and his decision to pursue teaching, seeking meaningful work over financial gain.

The chapter includes Gatto’s initial struggles and frustrations with the education system as a substitute teacher, highlighting issues such as lack of support and administrative rigidity. A significant turning point in Gatto’s teaching career is detailed through his interaction with a student, Milagros, who was unjustly placed in a lower reading group. Gatto’s advocacy for Milagros leads to her reassignment to a more appropriate class, reinforcing his commitment to teaching.

Key Concepts

  • Informal Education: Gatto’s childhood experiences along the Monongahela River, where he learned from nature, community members, and personal adventures, highlighting the value of informal education.
  • Career Transition: Gatto’s move from a lucrative advertising career to teaching, motivated by a search for meaningful work.
  • Education System Critique: Criticism of the rigidity and inefficiency within the school system, particularly in how it deals with substitute teachers and student placement.
  • Impact of Teaching: The story of Milagros demonstrates the profound impact a teacher can have on a student’s life and educational trajectory.

Noteworthy Facts

  • Gatto won the First Prize in the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, Columbia University National Essay Contest.
  • Before becoming a teacher, Gatto had a successful career in advertising, where he felt his work lacked importance and challenge.
  • His decision to teach was largely scorned by his colleagues in advertising, who viewed teaching in New York City as a lower-status job.
  • Gatto’s early experiences as a teacher were challenging, facing hostile school environments and administrative hurdles.
  • The positive outcome of advocating for Milagros’s educational needs reaffirmed Gatto’s commitment to teaching and highlighted the potential for teachers to make a significant difference in their students’ lives.

Practical Implications

  • Advocacy for Students: Teachers can play a crucial role in advocating for their students’ needs, challenging administrative decisions when necessary to ensure students receive appropriate education.
  • Informal Learning Importance: Recognizing and valuing informal learning experiences outside the classroom can enrich students’ education and personal growth.
  • Career Fulfillment: Finding meaningful work can lead to greater job satisfaction and personal fulfillment, as demonstrated by Gatto’s transition from advertising to teaching.
  • Systemic Flexibility: The education system needs to be more flexible and responsive to individual students’ abilities and needs to maximize their learning potential.

Recommendations

  • For Teachers: Be vigilant and proactive in recognizing and advocating for students’ needs, ensuring they are placed in educational settings that match their abilities and foster their growth.
  • For Administrators: Implement more flexible policies and practices that accommodate individual differences among students and allow for adjustments based on their actual performance and needs.
  • For Education Policy Makers: Encourage and facilitate more interaction between the school and the local community to enhance informal learning opportunities for students.
  • For Parents and Community Members: Engage actively with local schools, offering diverse learning experiences and support to enrich students’ education beyond the formal curriculum.

We Need Less School, Not More

Chapter 4 discusses the impact of the current education system on society, emphasizing the need for less schooling rather than more. Gatto critiques the system’s focus on conformity, the undermining of community and family, and the preference for institutional solutions over individual and community growth. He advocates for a return to more personalized, community-based education models that foster individuality and genuine learning.

Key Concepts

  • Community vs. Network: Gatto highlights the difference between communities, which involve rich, multi-dimensional interactions, and networks, which are limited and focus on specific outcomes.
  • The Negative Impact of Schooling: The current education system is critiqued for fragmenting individuals, undermining family and community bonds, and promoting conformity over individual growth.
  • The Importance of Individuality in Education: Gatto argues for an education system that fosters individuality, critical thinking, and genuine learning, as opposed to rote learning and conformity.

Ideas

  • Education vs. Schooling: Gatto makes a distinction between true education, which is self-driven and fosters individual growth, and schooling, which is compulsory and often stifles creativity and individuality.
  • The Role of Family and Community: The importance of family and community in the educational process is emphasized, with the argument that these elements are crucial for developing well-rounded, engaged individuals.

Noteworthy Facts

  • The Efficiency of Self-Directed Learning: Gatto suggests that basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic can be learned quickly in the right setting, often through self-teaching, questioning the necessity of prolonged schooling.
  • Historical Perspective on Schooling: The concept of compulsory schooling is relatively recent, with the system becoming significantly more entrenched and expansive in the past century.

Recommendations

  • De-emphasize Institutional Schooling: Gatto recommends reducing the emphasis on formal, compulsory education and exploring alternative models that prioritize individual growth and community involvement.
  • Encourage Community and Family Engagement: Strengthening the role of families and communities in the educational process could foster more meaningful learning experiences.
  • Foster Self-Directed Learning: Encouraging self-directed learning and critical thinking could lead to more engaged and capable individuals.

Critical Analysis

  • Gatto’s insights into the educational system provoke a reevaluation of the purpose and methods of education, emphasizing the need for systems that support individual growth and community engagement rather than conformity and institutional dependency.

Additional Insights

  • The Psychological Impact of Schooling: The text delves into the psychological effects of the current schooling system, including feelings of isolation, competition, and inadequacy.
  • The Economic Dimensions of Education: Gatto critiques the commercialization of education and its focus on economic outcomes rather than personal growth or societal well-being.

The Congregational Principle

In chapter 5, Gatto argues that the current system of schooling prioritizes conformity and obedience over genuine learning and personal development. Gatto calls for a radical rethinking of education, drawing inspiration from the decentralized, community-focused educational models of early American history, particularly the Congregational Principle practiced in colonial New England.

Key Concepts

  • Compulsory Schooling’s Hidden Curriculum: Gatto argues that the true curriculum of schools is to teach compliance and conformity, rather than fostering critical thinking and individuality.
  • The Congregational Principle: A model from colonial New England where education and religious practice were decentralized and community-based, allowing for greater individual and local control over learning.
  • Critique of Centralization in Education: Gatto criticizes the push towards national standards, curricula, and testing, arguing they further remove educational decisions from communities and individuals.
  • Importance of Localism and Community in Education: Advocates for education systems that are rooted in local communities, allowing for more relevant, flexible, and responsive educational experiences.
  • Call for Educational Reform: Urges a move away from standardized, compulsory schooling towards more diverse, community-driven education models.

Recommendations

  • Decentralize Education: Shift control of education from national or state levels to local communities to better meet the needs and values of those communities.
  • Promote Community-Based Learning: Encourage educational models that involve the community, such as apprenticeships, internships, and project-based learning that engage local businesses, artisans, and elders.
  • Support Homeschooling and Alternative Education: Recognize and support the legitimacy and value of homeschooling and other alternative educational paths as viable options for students.
  • Reevaluate Teacher Certification: Question the necessity of traditional teacher certification processes and open up teaching to those with practical experience and knowledge relevant to students’ interests and local community needs.
  • Foster a Culture of Critical Thinking: Encourage educational approaches that prioritize critical thinking, problem-solving, and the development of individual interests and talents over rote memorization and standardized testing.