I recently read “Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling" by John Taylor Gatto and in this post, I want to reflect on a few of the key ideas of the book. Gatto was an American teacher, author, and advocate for reform in education. He is best known for his critiques of traditional compulsory schooling in the USA and around the world. He taught for nearly 30 years in the New York City public school system before resigning from teaching in 1991, saying that he no longer wanted to be part of a system that caused harm to young people.
Gatto differentiates between schooling and education, arguing that they are both “mutually exclusive terms” (Gatto, 1992, p.91). Education is noble, well intentioned, and necessary for people to be the best they can be. It is lifelong and interdisciplinary, connecting different areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to make for citizens who can lead happy, healthy, and wealthy lives on their own accord. However, schooling does not do this. Young people spend a majority of their free time in school, with other young people exactly their own age. Bells ring to tell them where they must go. They are graded in “the way we grade vegetables—and in a dozen other vile and stupid” (Gatto, 1992, p. 51). This is inhumane. People are not vegetables. They are dynamic beings with unique talents, passions, and potentialities. And we must treat them as such.
I also agree with Gatto when he says that schooling only considers the present as the “system effectively cuts you off from the immense diversity of life and the synergy of variety; indeed, it cuts you off from your own past and future, sealing you in a continuous present much the same way television does” (Gatto, 1992, p. 24). The activities we engage in during life are varied and interdisciplinary in nature yet school does not reflect this. At school, we have our students learn algebra in math class, subordinate clauses in English and then move on to other unrelated topics without being given the opportunity to connect the dots or appreciate how these disciplines intersect and relate to real-life experiences. This compartmentalization of knowledge not only limits students' understanding of the world but also fails to cultivate critical thinking skills and creativity.
I try to make sure my students understand that disciplines have connections with each other. Last semester, I taught an interdisciplinary unit integrating my subject, Social Studies, with ELA and Science with my Grade 7 students. We read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba. The book is an autobiography of Kamkwamba’s journey in building a windmill from scrap materials in rural Malawi, providing electricity to his community. In Social Studies, we learnt about human interactions with the environment and sustainability. In ELA, students analyzed the themes, characters, and literary devices. And in Science, students explored the scientific principles behind wind energy and renewable resources. From anecdotal evidence, I know that students enjoyed the unit, finding it refreshing to connect their learning across different subjects and see real-world applications of the concepts they studied.
A final takeaway I want to mention is Gatto’s assertion that when we put students into formal schooling as we know it, we are creating an artificial barrier between education and the real world. This inhibits their ability to apply knowledge and skills in practical contexts, limiting their understanding of how concepts learned in the classroom relate to everyday life. As a result, there exists a disconnect between the theoretical learning environment of school and the dynamic, ever-changing nature of the world beyond its walls. Breaking down this barrier requires reimagining education as a holistic experience that integrates real-world experiences, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary learning to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives.
It is clear we need to restructure and even recreate schools in a way that makes sense. I try to constantly create engaging, relevant, and authentic learning experiences for my students. Though there are limitations, given the current system, educators must be part of the solution!
References
Gatto, J. T. (1992). Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. New Society Publishers.
Kamkwamba, W., & Mealer, B. (2009). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. HarperCollins.