Reading Response

In reading through Gattos depiction of the educational system it became more and more vividly clear that the system in place may be founded with wrong intention. He points out that what we have all supported and agreed with for so long, may be a distraction for an underlying system. That schools methods are really a system for teaching obedience and conformity. He points out that the school system encourages "fitting in" and "getting by," as well as discouraging leadership and initiative. The system, as he discribes, is founded on previous systems as a means to manage large populations. However throughout the article he does not present a better system, he points out the weaknesses and flaws and provides short term alternatives, not a long term solution. I do agree with the concept Gatto presents, but there has to be a solution for educating and, unfortunately, for managing the masses. Weather we like it our not there has to be a method to the madness, and schooling currently is that method. It does the job well, however it creates casualities, many become lost, confused, or broken (in spirit) due to the system. I do not believe that there is a perfect system, but there are better, and we need to take the information at hand, as Gatto suggested and improve, adjust and redefine the goal of schooling.


Alex Elsberry