John Gatto Against School Summary

In “Against School” by John Gatto, he argues that the modern schooling system of America is slowly but surely corrupting the minds of the country’s children. While many of the ideas he states are correct and accurate, many individual arguments he uses tend to stray away from the original topic. As the article goes on, the author uses sensitive words relating to the topic to attempt to reach us emotionally through the writing. At the start of his article, Gatto explains his career in education. He begins by saying where he has taught, and how he is a thirty-year teacher. He then goes on to explain the factor of boredom, and how it affects not only students, but also teachers. It is a common factor within most if not all people, which causes lack of concentration, and apathy. Gatto tells us how his grandfather used to tell him to never even bring up the idea of boredom, and if he was bored than it was his own fault and only he can fix his own boredom. The author then links boredom to low energy, and brings up how most of his students would often claim to be bored because they already know the subject, and find it stupid to be going over it so much. The students seem to only care about grades and not actually learning the material.

The Prussian culture was designed to a country’s population with average intelligence, and no free-thinking among its citizens. Gatto then explains how students today commonly see school and success as the same principle, as if attending America’s schooling is the only way to become successful. He gives the example of the United States founding fathers, and how they never went through a twelve-year schooling program and were still extremely intellectual people. He gives the example of the United States founding fathers, and how they never went through a twelve-year schooling program and were still extremely intellectual