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Reasons to drop out of university
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Is modern education brainwashing students? Why is school mandatory ? Is there an alternative to modern schooling that has not been explored because of tradition? The school system’s mandatory attendance has not changed in one hundred years. The education system loses the purpose of learning because it is required, students only go because they must. Education is not meaningful and only serves the purpose of pushing children into a career and the work force. Teaching lessons that do not challenge the students or benefit thinking skills. Modern education is failing to give students useful thinking skills. Tradition has reigned too long in the American school system and has changed nothing, the way this country approaches education must change if the next generations are to learn meaningfully instead of forcefully.
In the education system, the mandatory attendance policy requires students to be in school, but they do not necessarily have to like it. Disinterest in schooling effects how unsuccessful students will be, if students are bored it is only because society has pushed them into the vicious cycle of meaningless education. In Gatto’s article “Against School”, he claims that both students and teachers are bored,
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School should prepare the students for a life outside schooling, however it focuses on the career aspect of life. Learning and creative thinking is skipped over to focus on the relatively unimportant aspects of schooling. Changing the grade system is one way education can change to be beneficial to future generations. Mandatory attendance would not need to be a rule if education made student want to come to school, made them interested in learning. Instead of stressed about grades or thinking about career choices. When it comes to education, American culture is not open to change, tradition rules over reform and it will take a great deal to
In the article “Against School”, John Taylor Gatto urges Americans to see the school system as it really is: testing facilities for young minds, with teachers who are pounding into student 's brains what society wants. Gatto first explains that he taught for 30 years at the best and worst schools in Manhattan. He claims to have firsthand experience of the boredom that students and teachers struggle with. Gatto believes that schooling is not necessary, and there are many successful people that were self-educated. He then explains the history and importance of mandatory schooling.
To begin, there are several concepts about compulsory education that aggravates John Gatto and he explains his concerns in his essay “Against School.” Gatto’s first concern is everything is about school is boring. “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers (Gatto 608).” If the teachers are bored, they will create a dull and boring environment for the students. “Boredom and childishness were the natural state of affairs in the classroom (Gatto 608).” Lack of creativity and freedom is another concern of Gatto. “An educational system deliberately designed to produce mediocre intellects (Gatto 611).” Also, Gatto thinks school is unnecessary. “George Washington, Benjamin
John Taylor Gatto in his essay “Against School” explains the lack of motivation that students have to the educational system of the USA. He also explains the damage that the system makes to both, students and teachers, by the non-interesting topics they are taught class. Furthermore, he enlightens the indifference of students towards the teacher, seem as incompetent and unprepared. In addition, he also highlights the dark side of the school system which intends to brainwash and rescind the ideas from students. He addresses a main goal of the educational system; convert juveniles into the next docile and manageable generation. Wherefore, he proposes an educational system that should be structured and not controlled. In addition,
John Taylor Gatto, who was a teacher at the public school for twenty-six years, and the writer of the essay “Against School” that first appeared in Harper’s magazine in 2001, censures and blames the American public school’s educational system in his argumentative essay with various convincible supporting ideas. Gatto argues that the demands of public education system’s schooling are essential problems in “Against School”. Gatto shows some positive examples of the educating without forced schooling and shows models of the ‘success without forced modern schooling’. Indeed, the writer insists that historically forced schooling is not related to intellectual and financial success in American history. James Bryant Conant, who was the twenty-third
As Source A stated, “forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years.” Source B also outlines the strict scheduales in schooling by presenting a bell scheduale that is followed every day in a public school. Both Source A and Source B present arguments about the ridig structure of the school system. There is very little individuality within school days, students are required to be in every class and repeat these expections for twelve years. As Source E adds, “nothing of what it costs to repair the damage that these angry and resentful prisoners do every time they get a chance.” Source E is quick to compare America’s school system to America’s prison system in that public school presents structured days in oder to promote conformity to all. These constant and long school says that America’s kids are exposed to every day hardly promote creativity, free time, or individuality for children. Instead, it promotes conformity and teaches kids to be able to sit for eight hours a day bored out of their
Gatto argues that the staying in the American schooling system for so long has supplied him with every reason to refer to it as a childish and “ 'a disablement '” program for students. He supposes that he can bring out the best qualities in children by giving them the autonomy to make decisions and manage themselves, rather than confining them to school. According to Gatto, people may see the key problem of schooling as boredom. To clarify his point, Gatto believes having an education in school is considered as “a daily routine in a factory of childishness in order to make sure not one of them ever really grow up”.
We live in a society where we are surrounded by people telling us that school/education and being educated is the only way to succeed. However, the school system is not up to the standards we want it to uphold. There are three issues we discuss the most which are the government, the student, and the teacher. In John Taylor Gatto 's essay “Against School”, we see the inside perspective of the educational system from the view of a teacher. In “I Just Wanna Be Average”, an essay written by Mike Rose, we hear a student 's experience of being in a vocational class in the lower level class in the educational system when he was supposed to be in the higher class. Both Gatto and Rose give their opinions on how the educational system is falling apart. Today the government is only trying to get students to pass, making it hard for teachers to teach what they want. Students are affected everyday by the school system. They sit there - bored - and do not think that the teachers care, making the
Schooling has a lot of problems that need a lot of solutions. Many of these problems stem from the fact that the American school system is notorious for wasting the time of students and teachers. Students rarely get the chances to learn and experience topics that not only interest them but are also topics that have the potential for being important in their future careers. Time is also wasted during standardized tests that do not give American students an accurate representation of their intelligence compared to the intelligence of others worldwide.
Many Americans do not question the credibility of the education system within the country because they believe it forms good citizens and creates a stepping-stone to success. John Taylor Gatto is an American teacher who has experience in the classroom for thirty years and has now devoted his life to critiquing American schools exploiting his own experiences. In his essay “Against School”, he argues that the 12-year system of school may not be necessary, due to its curriculum, and that it may be a tactic of manipulation from the government to promote obedience. I agree with his argument because there are many paths to individual success outside of public education, such as homeschooling or vocational school.
One of the main concerns with the world’s focus on a schedule is that children will be bored in their set ways. John
In his essay “Against School,” John Taylor Gatto illustrates his view point that the American population would be better off by managing their own education. He compares the school system to the concept of boredom; that students as well as teachers are victims of the long ago adopted Prussian educational system: “We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simply and glorious. Let them manage themselves.” In other words, Gatto believes that the main reason for the existence of schooling consists in that it trains our children to be obedient citizens who can’t think on their own. His point is that as a society we cut off the intelligence and creativity
The Quality of a child’s education often either limits or opens up a world of opportunities. Those who study the purpose of public education and the way it is distributed throughout society can often identify clear correlations between social class and the type of education a student receives. It is generally known by society that wealthy families obtain the best opportunities money can buy. Education is a tool of intellectual and economical empowerment and since the quality of education is strongly influenced by social class, a smaller portion of the American population obtains the opportunities acquired from a top notch education. Many people believe that educational inequalities are perpetuated from the interests of specific classes, but some researchers like John Gatto believe that there are even stronger social forces in play. In the essay “Against Schools” the author John Gatto presents three arguments: (1) that are educational system is flawed, (2) that the American educational system is purposely designed to create a massive working class that is easy to manipulate, and (3) alternative teaching methods should be applied to teach children to think for themselves. In this essay I will be summarizing and relating each of these arguments to other educational essays. Also, I will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument.
John Taylor Gatto, in his essay “Against School: How Public Education Cripples our Kids, and why”, argues that the contemporary purpose of education in public schools is to produce “harmless electorate,” “a servile labor force,” and “mindless consumers” (28). According to Gatto, he is blaming public schools by explain that the purpose of education is to shape students to certain expectations and habits without their interests. He argues that students “want to be doing something real” (Gatto 23). Also, He explains that they produce a manageable working class and “mindless consumers” (27-28). His point is that students want to learn something new that help them in their life better than actual books from school which don’t apply their interests and their experience (23). So he recommends home-schooling as option to schools (24). Gatto claims that contemporary schools “adopted one of the very worst aspect...
The downfall of the US Public Education system is very concerning to me. A number of children are leaving the school system without the proper tools for them to be successful and productive. Over the years, schools have been victims of budget cuts; therefore, they are no longer able to supply children with sufficient and basic needs for success. There are several factors other than budget cuts that contribute to young adults leaving school without the proper tools for success.
A college education is necessary today in society. Students can focus on their academics and try to get a high score. The cost of education for each student has become more difficult to afford. Thus, many students and teachers wonder if free college tuition must be granted. Free education must be responsible and funded by the U.S. government because it will help students focus on their studies, and encourage them to work harder in school. Even thought many people think that education must be free, it is very important for many reasons such as the economy, quality of education, and value of a college degree.