People to know more about: John Taylor Gatto

If there is someone to know, if there is someone to emulate, this is the man. I consider John Taylor Gatto as one of the most well adjusted and educated men I've ever ran into. 

What did he do that was so important? He uncovered the real purpose of institutionalized schooling and demonstrated the potential of children. Every child can be important, unique and incredibly valuable if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, John passed away several years ago but his legacy continues on in many ways, one is with Autonomy. It's certainly one of the motivations that keeps me going and of the belief that no matter how bad things get, there's always going to be an abundance of opportunity for good.

John was a teacher, his students shined, from 1989-91, John won the NYC Teacher of the Year three years in a row then the NY State Teacher of the Year. Yet, the school administration considered him a thorn in their side. His methods were unconventional by today's "education" standards but his results were truly amazing. His students were regularly making the newspapers and getting on the TV news in NYC for astounding feats. A group of his students led the successful effort to erect a monument to John Lennon in NYC's Central Park, another represented himself in small claims court so well that he was invited to lecture at Colombia University's School of Law, at 12 years old! John had an incredible scrap book of his students accomplishments, that was thicker than most encyclopedias.

John wrote several books on the subject of institutionalized "education". He was very critical of it. In his book "Dumbing Us Down" he explained the problems children will develop with the school system.

1. It confuses the students. It presents an incoherent ensemble of information that the child needs to memorize to stay in school. Apart from the tests and trials, this programming is similar to the television; it fills almost all the "free" time of children. One sees and hears something, only to forget it again.
2. It teaches them to accept their class affiliation.
3. It makes them indifferent.
4. It makes them emotionally dependent.
5. It makes them intellectually dependent.
6. It teaches them a kind of self-confidence that requires constant confirmation by experts (provisional self-esteem).
7. It makes it clear to them that they cannot hide, because they are always supervised.

John did an immense amount of investigation into education. His books are incredibly well written and documented. He points to the reasons and motivations for public education in  Alexander Inglis 1918 book "Principles of Secondary Education":

1. The adjustive or adaptive function. Schools are designed to establish fixed habits of response to authority.
2. The integrating function. The purpose of this function is to make kids as like as possible.
3. The diagnostic and directive function. Schools determine each student's proper social role.
4. The differentiating function. Students are trained no more than to meet the standards of determined social role.
5. The selective function. Unadapted students are treated like inferiors in order to prevent their reproduction.
6. The propaedeutic function. Small fraction of selected students is created in order to continue the schooling system.

John's work spoke to me in a number of ways. It certainly woke me up to the programming I received as a child. What is specifically interesting is the city I grew up in was a test bed for the modern method of schooling... it was called "The Gary Plan". 

From the Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Gary Plan was an educational system instituted in 1907 in Gary, Indiana. It was part of the larger scientific management movement in the early part of the 20th century that tried to increase efficiency in manufacturing through increased separation of worker roles and duties as well as through incentivized wages. The Gary Plan was one example of the educational practices that were strongly influenced by that business-driven movement. It goes on to conclude about the Gary Plan... Despite opposition, the plan effected a lasting transformation of American school organization and curriculum. By the turn of the 21st century, numerous school programs and organizational structures that resulted from the Gary Plan movement were in wide use in the United States, including the multi-period high-school schedule, vocational-career education programs, and arts curriculum offerings.

John was meticulous about the words he used. He describes in one interview how each sentence he wrote would then be further scrutinized by himself. He wanted the idea clearly explained, each belief, verified. Rarely did his first draft survive. Needless to say his attention to detail was exceptional. His understanding of humanity from his years of experience with children was inspiring
... another quote from John "In all my years of teaching, I never met a slow student, or a genius". His patience with each and every child showed that the potential of each individual can be realized.

I speak highly of the Autonomy Course. One of the reason is it's affection for John Taylor Gatto. One of Richard Grove's finest interviews is the five plus hour interview with John over a two day period in 2011 called "The Ultimate History Lesson with John Taylor Gatto." I promise you, you will not be the same after digesting this interview. It is eye opening and liberating.
 

If there's one person I can recommend to pattern our interest in humanity and understanding it, he is one of my favorites. If you ever want a interesting discussion with me, this man is certainly someone I can speak highly of for hours. Rest in Peace John!