John Taylor Gatto was a school teacher in the Manhattan Public School system, and is a past New York State Teacher of the Year. After 30 years he quit and has since become one of the most vocal critics of the public school system.
Mary Pride, of Homeschool World, interviews Gatto about his views, his arguments and his experience. The interview is fascinating, with a lot of meat to work through.
You have to develop a kid’s comprehensive imagination. And throughout history, although for most of human history this was legally reserved for elites, the way that’s done is through literature, poetry, history, philosophy, and theology. All those disciplines require that your mind take in a complex comprehensive panorama and figure things out. It isn’t the kind of primitive thinking that we call “problem-solving.” Advanced thinking is, “Is that problem worth solving?” or, “If I solve that problem, and take my time and resources doing it, what exactly am I losing overall?” You’re not supposed to be allowed to think that way.
Count for Eternity 