john-taylor-gatto-weapons-of-mass-instruction
john-taylor-gatto-weapons-of-mass-instruction
john-taylor-gatto-weapons-of-mass-instruction
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110 WEAPONS OF MASS INSTRUCTION<br />
intact except the ruined church which had been burned to the ground<br />
on June 10, 1944, by retreating German military forces in WWIL On<br />
that day every single citizen was murdered save one - an eight-yearold<br />
boy, Roger Godfrin, who disobeyed his schoolteachers when they<br />
obeyed German orders to bring their classes to the town square and<br />
church. "Hurry! Hurry!" Roger remembers them saying, "Don't keep<br />
them waiting!" Without his contempt for school, which led him to<br />
run away and hide instead, Roger would have burned to ashes with<br />
the rest.<br />
Irrelevance<br />
Why has schooling acquired such a bad odor Part <strong>of</strong> the answer<br />
lies in the political nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>mass</strong> schooling - a characteristic inherent<br />
in any bureaucracy. It's not so much kids think in these abstract<br />
terms, it's the widespread understanding among the young<br />
that school isn't about them (and their interests, curiosities and futures),<br />
but exclusively about the wishes <strong>of</strong> other people. School is<br />
built around the self-interest <strong>of</strong> others. What's the point <strong>of</strong> taking<br />
this test or that one Is there any point at all that any young person<br />
with real priorities, real anxieties, and real questions which need to be<br />
answered would be likely to accept How would you personally deal<br />
with the assertion, "I don't need to know anything about the Leaning<br />
Tower <strong>of</strong> Pisa!" What would you say Is it possible the complaint is<br />
well founded<br />
What <strong>of</strong> the political nature <strong>of</strong> schooling which allows any group<br />
in political control and all its important political rivals to edit out any<br />
teaching which might call its own privileges, practices, or beliefs into<br />
question School has no choice but to limit free thought and speech<br />
to such a pr<strong>of</strong>ound degree a gulf is opened between the sanctimonious<br />
homilies <strong>of</strong> pedagogy ('searching for truth; 'leveling the playing<br />
field; etc.) and the ugly reality <strong>of</strong> its practices. Will you require me to<br />
prove that I hope so. I shall do it with a stark example from Australia<br />
in the expectation you will have no trouble transferring the principle<br />
learned to America.