Weapons of mass instruction

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1. vezzy-fnordDec 2013
   But is there any evidence that such ideas are actually influential in today's schools? I'll bet that most teachers, if shown your quote, would retch.

   I assume you have read John Taylor Gatto's works before. In particular, you might be interested in his most recent: Weapons of Mass Instruction.

   I don't know how exactly you would gauge their influence. It's certainly much more prevalent in certain countries (the USA and the major Western European forces, where the idea of modern compulsory schooling originated in the first place: Prussia), compared to say, Eastern European countries. The national psychology has always been different there, and after being ravaged by communism, the school system is quite chaotic and ineffectual, though the EU and other powers are trying to enact change (not necessarily for the better).

   In any event, just look at how the classroom model of schooling works these days: intense focus on rote memorization, adherence to ritualistic and often obsolete or pointless standards, very bureaucratic operation and government, a fanatical concern with and faith in the grading system, standardized testing as the be-all-end-all of education and so on.

   Then depending on the country, schools are used to instill nationalistic and other forms of propaganda, be it in the history textbooks or throughout the entire atmosphere of the classroom. Typically most states do this, though the exact level and subtlety depends on the individual nation.

   The teachers would likely retch, but they're just as big of pawns as anybody else. They're not meant to know. They're told to serve a seemingly benevolent purpose in educating the nation's youth, and they must obviously comply with whatever they're given if they'd like to keep their job.

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2. vezzy-fnordDec 2013
   It does not blow my mind.

   Not one bit.

   I've posted various comments before where I detailed the fallacies and fundamental issues (some deliberately implanted from the beginning, others mutating later on) with the compulsory schooling system and how the classroom model is ineffectual.

   Remember: education != schooling. Never forget that. This is one of the most common misconceptions of our time.

   What does blows my mind is just how thoroughly the masses have accepted public school curricula as the only true and legitimate form of education. People like you blow my mind. I don't mean to be smug or arrogant, I'm glad you're awakening.

   Fact of the matter is compulsory schooling originated to instill obedience in the context of the Prussian militarist regime, later becoming adopted by industrial moguls in the USA during the late 19th century, due to the necessity of cheap and easily disposable labor.

   Here are some books to read:

   John Taylor Gatto: Dumbing Us Down, Weapons of Mass Instruction and The Underground History of American Education.

   Charlotte Iserbyt: the deliberate dumbing down of america.

   Ivan Illich: Deschooling Society.

   John Holt: Anything at all, but particularly How Children Fail and How Children Learn.

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   Besides Sudsbury schools, there's several other alternative school models: anarchistic free schools and democratic schools. Look those up, as well.

   Ultimately, what people need to realize is that autodidacticism is the most efficient form of learning. Yet schooling has killed the will to autodidact for many people, or has delegitimized it in favor of formal schooling and credentials.

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3. fleitzMar 2011
   If you ever get the chance to read Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto I highly suggest it, it's very eye opening as to the origins and reasons for mandatory schooling.

   Also when reading John Taylor Gatto, please ensure you do not conflate schooling with education. You'll not like him very much if you conflate the two. Unless you really are against education, in that case please reply :)

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4. bugsyOct 2010
   For more detail on the background of factory education and the reason for it, and a bit more details on alternatives, check out John Taylor Gatto's works. He's a former NY state educator of the year who came to realize that school as we know it is bad for people.

   Transcript of one interview:

   http://www.ttfuture.org/files/2/pdf/gotto_interview.pdf

   mp3 of another interview:

   http://jari.podbean.com/mf/web/ja8dm2/LivingHero19--JohnGatt...

   He also has a couple books in particular "Dumbing Us Down" and "Weapons of Mass Instruction".

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5. 28304283409234Mar 2026
   This was literally the example in the book "Weapons of Mass Instruction" by Gatto.
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6. freahsteaksauceMay 2022
   The book I'm reading Weapons of Mass Instruction explains this as being part of the goals of forced schooling as designed by Carnegie and other industrialist to make easier to manage laborers.
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