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<address><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://cathyduffyreviews.com/general-interest-book-reviews/general-interest-reviews-education/weapons-of-mass-instruction#">https://cathyduffyreviews.com/general-interest-book-reviews/general-interest-reviews-education/weapons-of-mass-instruction#</a><br>
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<h1 itemprop="name" class="nobg">Weapons of Mass Instruction</h1>
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<dd class="createdby" itemprop="author" itemscope=""
itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" title="Written by "> <span
itemprop="name">John Taylor Gatto</span></dd>
<dd class="publisher" itemprop="publisher" itemscope=""
itemtype="http://schema.org/Publisher" title="Published by ">
<span itemprop="publisher">New Society Publishers</span></dd>
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<dd class="modified"> <time
datetime="2016-02-23T22:13:47+00:00"
itemprop="dateModified"> Last Updated: 23 February 2016 </time>
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<p>I'm a John Taylor Gatto fan, so I think I've read most of the
books he's written. In my opinion, <em>Weapons of Mass</em> <em>Instruction</em>
is probably his best yet. While I loved his last book, <em>Underground
History of American Education</em>, it's a very long book that
can overwhelm the reader who is merely curious. On the other
hand, <em>Weapons of Mass Instruction</em> weighs in at only
214, very readable pages.</p>
<p>For those unfamiliar with Gatto, his basic theme is this:
Compulsory schooling was instituted for political and social
control. In spite of horror stories of school malfeasance, the
school system actually accomplishes it's goal fairly well. The
result is a dumbed-down, compliant society that suits the needs
of government and big business. However, the byproduct of this
system is tremendous harm to individuals, families, and society.
Gatto is on a crusade to build resistance to and rejection of
compulsory schooling by showing us how we have been duped into
believing in the necessity of compulsory, government-run
schooling.</p>
<p>Gatto gathers his ammunition for this book from the prodigious
amount of reading and research he has done over the years. He
incorporates articles, speeches, and letters he has written, all
tied to his theme. He teaches some fascinating history lessons
that actually help to prove his point since they are perfect
examples of "things we weren't taught" because they might upset
our acceptance of the way things are. As with his other books,
Gatto eschews footnotes. If you want to track the actual source
of a reference, you'll have to search it out for yourself in
most cases.</p>
<p>Gatto's storytelling skill shines as he relates tales of real
people who fled the school system and succeeded in spite of the
popular wisdom that insists on diplomas, degrees, and
credentials ... and he makes the case that schooling often
deadens a person's capacity to be independent, creative, and
innovative—traits typical of many highly successful people.</p>
<p>If you know someone working through the college search and
application process, you might want to have them read his " A
Letter to My Granddaughter about Dartmouth" chapter where he
shares his dismal view of Ivy League institutions. According to
Gatto, education in America doesn't really improve at most
colleges and universities.</p>
<p>For those readers who find his thesis far-fetched, in the last
chapter Gatto relates three stories of government intervention
that buttress his case. One of these stories is of Gatto's
experience of having his own lecture at a high school halted
midstream by an entire squad of police—a school superintendent
apparently found the history lessons too disturbing.</p>
<p>Gatto ends the book with an "Afterword" urging students to join
what he calls The Bartleby Project. Since standardized tests are
the lynchpin of the system, the concept is that students
themselves can launch peaceful attacks against the system by
simply and politely refusing to take the tests. Personally, I
wonder how many students will actually work up the nerve to join
the testing resistance. A stronger "attack" could be
accomplished by parents removing their own children from the
system AND refusing to use standards-based curricula and
standardized tests.</p>
<p>If you are just beginning to suspect there might be a problem
with schooling (as opposed to educating as Gatto would say),
then you'll not likely find a better exposé of the problem than
<em>Weapons of Mass Instruction.</em></p>
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