John Taylor Gatto - The Dumbing Down of Our Children, Homeschooling, Montessori & Waldorf
May 19, 2011
In the second hour for members, John and Henrik begin talking about camera surveillance and privacy invasion in school. Now days, the mind is open for inspection. School is not for everyone and John will talk about the "hot house" of social dynamics that occur for children at school and why concentration is not possible in that environment. He talks about school as a laboratory, a place that divides people and places them in the social order. Then, the topic of home school comes up. John shares an inspiring story of a farmer in Canada who allowed his daughters to teach themselves at home. It is a story of a life led respecting and trusting children. John talks about the path of freedom, of respect for our children, of trust in them and belief in their ability to regulate and educate themselves. He says, children have it in them to design their own future and we can see what is possible when the school scam stops working. He gives examples in history of young children and teens that have risen to incredible heights without schooling, as well as successful adults today without college degrees. John suggests that we should think of teachers as associates, rather than judges. He also talks about the redundancy in studying subject areas which only lead to memorizing facts and becomes pointless. Rather we should, as they did in old times, teach children the art of reasoning and rhetoric so that they may be able to understand for themselves and critically argue and think on their own. Topics discussed: the key to totalitarianism, TSA, the watchful eye of the government, anti-concentration, illiteracy, dumbing us down, homeschooling made illegal in Sweden, Montessori & Waldorf School, Rudolph Steiner, The Fourth Purpose, rhetoric, memorizing, neurological point of view, the brain, connecting the dots.