Norma

I have posted info on several e-lists about John Taylor Gatto's
wonderful headliner article in the September issue of Harper's
Magazine in which he concisely and beautifully tells the world what
is so terribly wrong with compulsory schooling. Meanwhile I received
this message back from David Albert, a good friend of JTG's and an
excellent writer and advocate of self-directed learning:

"David Albert wrote:
<>I spoke with John on Tuesday (he was very excited.) He notes
however that the teachers unions are launching a massive letter
writing campaign.

So, if folks read it and like it, they are urged to write to Harpers
saying so. Consider yourself urged. :-)

David
http://www.skylarksings.com
"They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all
they found were shoes, beautiful shoes." -- Imelda Marcos<>

PLEASE, EVERYONE, IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO READ THIS AT YOUR LIBRARY,
OR BETTER YET TO BUY A COPY FOR YOURSELF, SEND A LETTER OFF TO
HARPER'S. LET'S SHOW THE TEACHER'S UNION THAT HOME EDUCATORS CAN BE
UNITED, TOO! WE CAN BE UNITED FOR THE FREEDOM TO EDUCATE OUR
CHILDREN OUTSIDE THE KIND OF PHILOSOPHY THAT GATTO DESCRIBES SO WELL
IN HIS ARTICLE AND IN HIS BOOKS.

Here is my original post about the Harper's article:
<>Get yourself to the newstand or the library and get a copy of
Gatto's featured article in the September issue of Harper's,
titled "Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, And
Why." I just picked this up tonight and it is a slam, bang,
magnificent manifesto on all that is wrong with contemporary
compulsory schooling.

Here is a quote from the end of the article to tease you:

"School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach you own
to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey
reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently.
Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to
develop an inner life so that they'll never be bored. Urge them to
take on the serious material, the grown up material, in history,
literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology -- all the
stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids
with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own
company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are
conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant
companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and
through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned.
Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can."

Hope that inspires you to read this article. And if you want more
JTG you can read his wonderful books. For more on John Taylor Gatto
visit his web site:

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/

Norma
"Experts and an expert culture always call for more experts. Experts
also have a tendency to cartelize themselves by
creating 'institutional barricades' - for example proclaiming
themselves gatekeepers, as well as self-selecting themselves.
Finally, experts control knowledge production, as they decide what
valid and legitimate knowledge is, and how its acquisition is
sanctioned." - Ivan Illich of DESCHOOLING SOCIETY<>

Norma

You can get a copy of this article free from the EBSCOhost Web
database for periodicals to which most libraries subscribe. I was
able to access it via my home computer through our library system's
web site. If you don't know how to do this (I didn't) phone or visit
your library and they will usually be happy to help you. It was very
easy.

Norma

--- In [email protected], "Norma"
<tessimal@y...> wrote:
> I have posted info on several e-lists about John Taylor Gatto's
> wonderful headliner article in the September issue of Harper's
> Magazine in which he concisely and beautifully tells the world what
> is so terribly wrong with compulsory schooling. Meanwhile I
received
> this message back from David Albert, a good friend of JTG's and an
> excellent writer and advocate of self-directed learning:
>
> "David Albert wrote:
> <>I spoke with John on Tuesday (he was very excited.) He notes
> however that the teachers unions are launching a massive letter
> writing campaign.
>
> So, if folks read it and like it, they are urged to write to
Harpers
> saying so. Consider yourself urged. :-)
>
> David
> http://www.skylarksings.com
> "They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God,
all
> they found were shoes, beautiful shoes." -- Imelda Marcos<>
>
> PLEASE, EVERYONE, IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO READ THIS AT YOUR LIBRARY,
> OR BETTER YET TO BUY A COPY FOR YOURSELF, SEND A LETTER OFF TO
> HARPER'S. LET'S SHOW THE TEACHER'S UNION THAT HOME EDUCATORS CAN BE
> UNITED, TOO! WE CAN BE UNITED FOR THE FREEDOM TO EDUCATE OUR
> CHILDREN OUTSIDE THE KIND OF PHILOSOPHY THAT GATTO DESCRIBES SO
WELL
> IN HIS ARTICLE AND IN HIS BOOKS.
>
> Here is my original post about the Harper's article:
> <>Get yourself to the newstand or the library and get a copy of
> Gatto's featured article in the September issue of Harper's,
> titled "Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, And
> Why." I just picked this up tonight and it is a slam, bang,
> magnificent manifesto on all that is wrong with contemporary
> compulsory schooling.
>
> Here is a quote from the end of the article to tease you:
>
> "School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach you
own
> to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey
> reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently.
> Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own
to
> develop an inner life so that they'll never be bored. Urge them to
> take on the serious material, the grown up material, in history,
> literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology -- all the
> stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids
> with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own
> company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are
> conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant
> companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and
> through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned.
> Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can."
>
> Hope that inspires you to read this article. And if you want more
> JTG you can read his wonderful books. For more on John Taylor Gatto
> visit his web site:
>
> http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/
>
> Norma
> "Experts and an expert culture always call for more experts.
Experts
> also have a tendency to cartelize themselves by
> creating 'institutional barricades' - for example proclaiming
> themselves gatekeepers, as well as self-selecting themselves.
> Finally, experts control knowledge production, as they decide what
> valid and legitimate knowledge is, and how its acquisition is
> sanctioned." - Ivan Illich of DESCHOOLING SOCIETY<>