
Dumbing Us Down (25th Anniversary Edition)
The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Michael Puttonen
-
Adam Farnsworth
About this listen
Throw off the shackles of formal schooling and embark upon a rich journey of self-directed, life-long learning
After over 100 years of mandatory schooling in the U.S., literacy rates have dropped, families are fragmented, learning "disabilities" are skyrocketing, and children and youth are increasingly disaffected. Thirty years of teaching in the public school system led John Taylor Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling is to blame, accomplishing little but to teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine.
He became a fierce advocate of families and young people taking back education and learning, arguing that "genius is as common as dirt," but that conventional schooling is driving out the natural curiosity and problem-solving skills we're born with, replacing it with rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment.
Gatto's radical treatise on public education, a bestseller for 25 years, continues to bang the drum for an unshackling of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes to learning, it's poised to continue to shake the world of institutional education for many more years.
Featuring a new foreword from Zachary Slayback, an Ivy League dropout and cofounder of tech start-up career foundry Praxis, this 25th anniversary edition will inspire new generations of parents and students to take control of learning and kickstart an empowered society of self-directed lifetime-learners.
©2017 John Taylor Gatto (P)2024 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Weapons of Mass Instruction
- A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechanisms of traditional education which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memorization drills. Gatto's earlier book, Dumbing Us Down, introduced the now-famous expression of the title into the common vernacular. Weapons of Mass Instruction adds another chilling metaphor to the brief against conventional schooling.
-
-
I will never see school the same
- By Nicole on 05-21-15
-
Skip College
- Launch Your Career Without Debt, Distractions, or a Degree
- By: Connor Boyack, John Taylor Gatto, Brittany Hunter, and others
- Narrated by: Tiana Hanson
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tens of millions of Americans owe a combined $1.5 trillion in debt for student loans. Much of this staggering expense has been unnecessary. Attending college is more of a tradition - a cultural rite of passage - than a necessary step toward a successful career, thus not justifying its steep cost. As countless entrepreneurs and creative hustlers have shown, there is a path to success outside of the institutions of so-called higher learning.
-
-
Not what I was expecting
- By Amazon Customer on 10-17-23
By: Connor Boyack, and others
-
Let Them Be Kids
- Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need
- By: Jessica Smartt
- Narrated by: Amanda Sanfilippo
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, especially with all the outside pressures and influence of the world. She struggled with how she could raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to utilize technology wisely. Let Them Be Kids is Jessica's offering of grace and confidence to moms, giving them practical ideas to meet these challenges.
-
-
heavy breathing
- By Deborah Massey on 03-09-23
By: Jessica Smartt
-
The Art of the Tale
- Engage Your Audience, Elevate Your Organization, and Share Your Message Through Storytelling
- By: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Narrated by: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone, regardless of their background and training, can improve their storytelling abilities. But what is a story? How can you tell it in a way that delights and informs your listeners? Take a journey into the keys to great storytelling with two of the country’s top experts on story presentation and speech writing.
-
-
Excellent
- By Debbie on 12-22-22
By: Steven James, and others
-
Dumbing Us Down
- The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty years in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. With over 100,000 copies in print since its original publication in 2002, this book is collection of essays and speeches and includes a describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching". John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and was a New York State Teacher of the Year.
-
-
Very insightful.
- By Chelle on 07-16-15
-
Wild Things
- The Art of Nurturing Boys
- By: Stephen James, David Thomas
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood. Wild Things addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a boy, written by two therapists who are currently engaged in clinical work with boys and their parents and who are also fathers raising five sons.
-
-
Helped me understand my boys
- By Danielle Ward on 03-31-20
By: Stephen James, and others
-
Weapons of Mass Instruction
- A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechanisms of traditional education which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memorization drills. Gatto's earlier book, Dumbing Us Down, introduced the now-famous expression of the title into the common vernacular. Weapons of Mass Instruction adds another chilling metaphor to the brief against conventional schooling.
-
-
I will never see school the same
- By Nicole on 05-21-15
-
Skip College
- Launch Your Career Without Debt, Distractions, or a Degree
- By: Connor Boyack, John Taylor Gatto, Brittany Hunter, and others
- Narrated by: Tiana Hanson
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tens of millions of Americans owe a combined $1.5 trillion in debt for student loans. Much of this staggering expense has been unnecessary. Attending college is more of a tradition - a cultural rite of passage - than a necessary step toward a successful career, thus not justifying its steep cost. As countless entrepreneurs and creative hustlers have shown, there is a path to success outside of the institutions of so-called higher learning.
-
-
Not what I was expecting
- By Amazon Customer on 10-17-23
By: Connor Boyack, and others
-
Let Them Be Kids
- Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need
- By: Jessica Smartt
- Narrated by: Amanda Sanfilippo
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, especially with all the outside pressures and influence of the world. She struggled with how she could raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to utilize technology wisely. Let Them Be Kids is Jessica's offering of grace and confidence to moms, giving them practical ideas to meet these challenges.
-
-
heavy breathing
- By Deborah Massey on 03-09-23
By: Jessica Smartt
-
The Art of the Tale
- Engage Your Audience, Elevate Your Organization, and Share Your Message Through Storytelling
- By: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Narrated by: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone, regardless of their background and training, can improve their storytelling abilities. But what is a story? How can you tell it in a way that delights and informs your listeners? Take a journey into the keys to great storytelling with two of the country’s top experts on story presentation and speech writing.
-
-
Excellent
- By Debbie on 12-22-22
By: Steven James, and others
-
Dumbing Us Down
- The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty years in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. With over 100,000 copies in print since its original publication in 2002, this book is collection of essays and speeches and includes a describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching". John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and was a New York State Teacher of the Year.
-
-
Very insightful.
- By Chelle on 07-16-15
-
Wild Things
- The Art of Nurturing Boys
- By: Stephen James, David Thomas
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood. Wild Things addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a boy, written by two therapists who are currently engaged in clinical work with boys and their parents and who are also fathers raising five sons.
-
-
Helped me understand my boys
- By Danielle Ward on 03-31-20
By: Stephen James, and others
-
The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
-
-
An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
By: Susan Wise Bauer
-
Remaining You While Raising Them
- The Secret Art of Confident Motherhood
- By: Alli Worthington
- Narrated by: Alli Worthington
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alli Worthington offers a guilt-free, often hilarious, empowering, research-informed guide to help modern mothers learn to better care for their own emotional, spiritual, and physical health so they can rediscover the beauty, the joy, and the sacred and secret art of confident motherhood.
-
-
An important message I didn’t realize I needed
- By Ali on 08-26-23
By: Alli Worthington
-
Free to Learn
- By: Peter Gray
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that our children, if free to pursue their own interests through play, will not only learn all they need to know but will do so with energy and passion. Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth.
-
-
Tremendous
- By Alan Timothy Lester on 09-18-18
By: Peter Gray
-
Control
- The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics
- By: Adam Rutherford
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Control is a book about what geneticist Adam Rutherford calls “a defining idea of the twentieth century.” Inspired by Darwin’s ideas about evolution, eugenics arose in Victorian England as a theory for improving the British population, and quickly spread to America. With disarming wit and scientific precision, Rutherford explains why eugenics still figures prominently in the twenty-first century, despite its genocidal past. And he confronts insidious recurring questions, revealing the intellectual bankruptcy of the idea, and the scientific impossibility of its realization.
-
-
Excellent 2023 update on genetics
- By Roy on 01-11-25
By: Adam Rutherford
-
For the Children's Sake
- Foundations of Education for Home and School
- By: Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
- Narrated by: Pamela Klein
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every parent and teacher wants to give his or her children the best education possible. They hope that the teaching they provide is a joyful adventure, a celebration of life, and preparation for living. But sadly, most education today falls short of this goal. For the Children's Sake imagines what education can be based on a Christian understanding of the meaning of life and what it means to be human—a child, a parent, a teacher.
-
-
Excellent book!
- By Mom of 7 on 06-28-23
-
The Call of the Wild and Free
- Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education, A New Way to Homeschool
- By: Ainsley Arment
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau—"All good things are wild and free"—mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild + Free. This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy, and awe—the essence of a positive childhood. The homeschool approach of past generations is gone—including the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home.
-
-
Very enriching!
- By Peter Drouillard on 04-24-20
By: Ainsley Arment
-
Homeschool Rising
- Shattering Myths, Finding Courage, and Opting Out of the School System
- By: Christy-Faith
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New and experienced homeschoolers looking for support, as well as educators, psychologists, and others who work with homeschooled children will love the clear, evidence-backed, and conversational information in Homeschool Rising.
-
-
Encouraging, powerful and wonderful!!
- By wildblue on 05-20-24
By: Christy-Faith
-
First Freedom
- By: David Harsanyi
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For America, the gun is a story of innovation, power, violence, character, and freedom. From the founding of the nation to the pioneering of the West, from the freeing of the slaves to the urbanization of the 20th century, our country has had a complex and lasting relationship with firearms. Now, in First Freedom, nationally syndicated columnist and veteran writer David Harsanyi explores the ways in which firearms have helped preserve our religious, economic, and cultural institutions for more than two centuries.
-
-
A Must-Read/Must-Listen
- By Nathan on 01-22-19
By: David Harsanyi
-
How Children Learn (50th anniversary edition)
- By: John Holt
- Narrated by: Matthew Kugler
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and parents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how we can nurture and encourage these natural abilities in our children.
-
-
So many truths and treasures!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-20-19
By: John Holt
-
Unschooled
- Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom
- By: Kerry Mcdonald, Peter Grey PhD
- Narrated by: Lesa Lockford
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a compelling narrative that introduces historical and contemporary research on self-directed education, Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order to learn.
-
-
Not for parents
- By online shopper on 05-24-20
By: Kerry Mcdonald, and others
-
Second Chance
- for Your Money, Your Life and Our World
- By: Robert T. Kiyosaki
- Narrated by: Tim Wheeler
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few would argue with the fact that on many fronts, we are a world in crisis. And there are two sides to every crisis, be it a leadership crisis, an economic crisis, an education crisis, or a moral crisis. The two sides to crisis are danger and opportunity. Robert Kiyosaki's new book, Second Chance: for Your Money and Your Life, uses the lessons from the past and a brutal assessment of the present to prepare listeners to see - and seize - the future.
-
-
Err... Not impressed.
- By Robert on 07-20-15
-
Rethinking School
- How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A best-selling expert on education shows how to make the school system work for your child. How many parents have a child struggling in school? The answer: a great many. This audiobook is an informed, practical resource for such parents. As the author of the classic book on home-schooling, The Well-Trained Mind, Susan Wise Bauer knows how children learn and how schools work. Her advice here is comprehensive and anecdotal, including material drawn from experience.
-
-
To homeschool or to Covid school. That is the question.
- By Andy Bailey on 10-19-20
By: Susan Wise Bauer
Related to this topic
-
How to Say It: Words That Make a Difference
- By: Allison Friederichs Atkison, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Allison Friederichs Atkison
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Words. We use them all the time, every day, mostly without giving them much thought at all. We take for granted that they’re here at our disposal whenever we need them. But if you’ve ever wished you could communicate more effectively, words are the place to start. It’s incumbent upon you to choose the best words to accomplish your goals, because how you choose to communicate influences—well, everything! The power of communication shapes our professional goals, our relationships, and our lives—so the words we choose to use carry a great deal of power.
-
-
Meh. Glad I didn't pay for it.
- By Paula on 07-23-22
By: Allison Friederichs Atkison, and others
-
Manifest Now
- By: Idil Ahmed
- Narrated by: Idil Ahmed
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Manifest Now provides a step-by-step guide with tools, techniques, and proven strategies to raise your frequency and create the reality you want. This audiobook is designed to guide you through the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of manifesting and creating all that your heart desires. You'll learn how to start removing mental and emotional blocks so you can rediscover that manifesting is your natural birthright. You'll feel more confident, reconnected, and powerful as you listen.
-
-
This is my first review of 2 years subscribed!
- By Rodrigo on 02-22-19
By: Idil Ahmed
-
How to Release Anxiety
- By: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s not just you. Stress levels are at an all-time high—so much so that a recently convened panel of medical experts in the US has recommended that all adults under the age of 65 be screened for anxiety. In How to Release Anxiety, Gabby Bernstein offers simple, actionable steps for feeling better, living with more ease, and showing up for those around us. Gabby’s unusual advice: Rather than manage your anxiety, what if you befriended it? Gabby posits that what we befriend, we can ultimately be at ease with. So she invites us to get curious.
-
-
Not my thing, but one good point
- By Scott on 10-22-22
-
30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics: How Manipulators Take Control in Personal Relationships
- By: Adelyn Birch
- Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Identifying covert emotional manipulation is tricky. You sense something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on the problem. This powerful book will reveal to you if manipulation is at play in your relationships. It will open your eyes. You will learn 30 tactics manipulators use to get what they want. You will also learn to spot the warning signs within yourself that expose covert manipulation is taking place, even if you can't identify the specific tactics being used.
-
-
This book can change your life!
- By Cat O. on 04-04-18
By: Adelyn Birch
-
Fluent Forever (Revised Edition)
- How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
- By: Gabriel Wyner
- Narrated by: Gabriel Wyner
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.
-
-
A great guide to thinking about learning.
- By Anonymous User on 01-02-25
By: Gabriel Wyner
-
Mind Mapping
- Improve Memory, Concentration, Communication, Organization, Creativity, and Time Management
- By: Kam Knight
- Narrated by: Jim D Johnston
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is a comprehensive guide to learning about a wonderful technique called mind maps. Mind maps are an amazing organizational and creativity tool that can improve memory, concentration, communication, organization, creativity, and time management.
-
-
make sure to practice
- By Meryem on 04-24-17
By: Kam Knight
-
How to Say It: Words That Make a Difference
- By: Allison Friederichs Atkison, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Allison Friederichs Atkison
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Words. We use them all the time, every day, mostly without giving them much thought at all. We take for granted that they’re here at our disposal whenever we need them. But if you’ve ever wished you could communicate more effectively, words are the place to start. It’s incumbent upon you to choose the best words to accomplish your goals, because how you choose to communicate influences—well, everything! The power of communication shapes our professional goals, our relationships, and our lives—so the words we choose to use carry a great deal of power.
-
-
Meh. Glad I didn't pay for it.
- By Paula on 07-23-22
By: Allison Friederichs Atkison, and others
-
Manifest Now
- By: Idil Ahmed
- Narrated by: Idil Ahmed
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Manifest Now provides a step-by-step guide with tools, techniques, and proven strategies to raise your frequency and create the reality you want. This audiobook is designed to guide you through the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of manifesting and creating all that your heart desires. You'll learn how to start removing mental and emotional blocks so you can rediscover that manifesting is your natural birthright. You'll feel more confident, reconnected, and powerful as you listen.
-
-
This is my first review of 2 years subscribed!
- By Rodrigo on 02-22-19
By: Idil Ahmed
-
How to Release Anxiety
- By: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s not just you. Stress levels are at an all-time high—so much so that a recently convened panel of medical experts in the US has recommended that all adults under the age of 65 be screened for anxiety. In How to Release Anxiety, Gabby Bernstein offers simple, actionable steps for feeling better, living with more ease, and showing up for those around us. Gabby’s unusual advice: Rather than manage your anxiety, what if you befriended it? Gabby posits that what we befriend, we can ultimately be at ease with. So she invites us to get curious.
-
-
Not my thing, but one good point
- By Scott on 10-22-22
-
30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics: How Manipulators Take Control in Personal Relationships
- By: Adelyn Birch
- Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Identifying covert emotional manipulation is tricky. You sense something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on the problem. This powerful book will reveal to you if manipulation is at play in your relationships. It will open your eyes. You will learn 30 tactics manipulators use to get what they want. You will also learn to spot the warning signs within yourself that expose covert manipulation is taking place, even if you can't identify the specific tactics being used.
-
-
This book can change your life!
- By Cat O. on 04-04-18
By: Adelyn Birch
-
Fluent Forever (Revised Edition)
- How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
- By: Gabriel Wyner
- Narrated by: Gabriel Wyner
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.
-
-
A great guide to thinking about learning.
- By Anonymous User on 01-02-25
By: Gabriel Wyner
-
Mind Mapping
- Improve Memory, Concentration, Communication, Organization, Creativity, and Time Management
- By: Kam Knight
- Narrated by: Jim D Johnston
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is a comprehensive guide to learning about a wonderful technique called mind maps. Mind maps are an amazing organizational and creativity tool that can improve memory, concentration, communication, organization, creativity, and time management.
-
-
make sure to practice
- By Meryem on 04-24-17
By: Kam Knight
-
There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather
- A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)
- By: Linda Åkeson McGurk
- Narrated by: Ann Richardson
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this lively, insightful memoir about a mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children.
-
-
Great concept, interesting writing.
- By Kate on 11-03-17
-
Dark Alliance
- The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion
- By: Gary Webb
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In July 1995, San Jose Mercury-News reporter Gary Webb found the Big One - the blockbuster story every journalist secretly dreams about - without even looking for it. A simple phone call concerning an unexceptional pending drug trial turned into a massive conspiracy involving the Nicaraguan Contra rebels, L.A. and Bay Area crack cocaine dealers, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
-
-
Bigger than You Thought
- By Susie on 04-28-14
By: Gary Webb
-
How to Write Best-Selling Fiction
- By: James Scott Bell, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Scott Bell
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people think the way to write a best seller is to have a lot of talent and even more luck. As you will learn, there is a recipe for success, and luck may be the least important ingredient in creating a best seller. No one has cracked the code better than James Scott Bell. A best-selling author himself, and the author of the number-one best seller for writers, Plot & Structure, Mr. Bell has been teaching the principles of best-selling fiction for over 20 years, principles that apply to any genre or style.
-
-
I'm a writer and this course is to blame.
- By accentrique on 07-22-19
By: James Scott Bell, and others
-
No Calculator? No Problem!
- Mastering Mental Math
- By: Art Benjamin, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Art Benjamin
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No Calculator? No Problem! Mastering Mental Math , award-winning professor of mathematics and celebrated “mathemagician” Arthur T. Benjamin delivers 10 fun-filled lessons on how to do math in your head with confidence, accuracy, and speed - sometimes faster than a calculator. By the end of Professor Benjamin’s lessons, you’ll be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers faster than ever before. And with your newfound skills, you’ll soon find yourself amazing other people and, perhaps more important, yourself.
-
-
Excellent but need PDF
- By Majeed on 10-15-19
By: Art Benjamin, and others
-
The Story of Western Science
- From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves.
-
-
Good text, tedious book structure
- By Diane K. on 10-07-15
By: Susan Wise Bauer
-
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
- The Untold History of English
- By: John McWhorter
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar. Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.
-
-
Great for casual linguists
- By Bertie on 01-11-10
By: John McWhorter
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Dumbing Us Down
- The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty years in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. With over 100,000 copies in print since its original publication in 2002, this book is collection of essays and speeches and includes a describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching". John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and was a New York State Teacher of the Year.
-
-
Very insightful.
- By Chelle on 07-16-15
-
Weapons of Mass Instruction
- A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechanisms of traditional education which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memorization drills. Gatto's earlier book, Dumbing Us Down, introduced the now-famous expression of the title into the common vernacular. Weapons of Mass Instruction adds another chilling metaphor to the brief against conventional schooling.
-
-
I will never see school the same
- By Nicole on 05-21-15
-
The Call of the Wild and Free
- Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education, A New Way to Homeschool
- By: Ainsley Arment
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau—"All good things are wild and free"—mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild + Free. This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy, and awe—the essence of a positive childhood. The homeschool approach of past generations is gone—including the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home.
-
-
Very enriching!
- By Peter Drouillard on 04-24-20
By: Ainsley Arment
-
The 5-Hour School Week
- An Inspirational Guide to Leaving the Classroom to Embrace Learning in a Way You Never Imagined
- By: Kaleena Amuchastegui, Aaron Amuchastegui
- Narrated by: Kaleena Amuchastegui
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Up early for class and up late for homework. Outdated, overcrowded schools are taking up our children's time and taking away from valuable life experiences. There's a better way to learn - and The 5-Hour School Week is how we hacked homeschool so we could enjoy our life and our kids! When Aaron and Kaleena Amuchastegui took their kids out of school to travel the globe and educate them through experiences, their children became more engaged, self-aware, curious, and passionate about learning. Now, they share their inspiring successes and practical advice.
-
-
very underwhelming
- By Amazon Customer on 10-31-19
By: Kaleena Amuchastegui, and others
-
Strong Like Her
- A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes
- By: Haley Shapley
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan, Haley Shapley
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journalist Haley Shapley takes us through the delightful untold history of female strength to understand how we can better encourage - and celebrate - the physical power of women. Part group biography, part cultural history, Strong Like Her delves into the fascinating stories of our muscular foremothers. From the first female Olympian to the circus stars who could lift their husbands above their heads, these brave and brawny women paved the way for the generations to follow.
-
-
very engaging
- By bzgl40 on 06-30-20
By: Haley Shapley
-
Skip College
- Launch Your Career Without Debt, Distractions, or a Degree
- By: Connor Boyack, John Taylor Gatto, Brittany Hunter, and others
- Narrated by: Tiana Hanson
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tens of millions of Americans owe a combined $1.5 trillion in debt for student loans. Much of this staggering expense has been unnecessary. Attending college is more of a tradition - a cultural rite of passage - than a necessary step toward a successful career, thus not justifying its steep cost. As countless entrepreneurs and creative hustlers have shown, there is a path to success outside of the institutions of so-called higher learning.
-
-
Not what I was expecting
- By Amazon Customer on 10-17-23
By: Connor Boyack, and others
-
Dumbing Us Down
- The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty years in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. With over 100,000 copies in print since its original publication in 2002, this book is collection of essays and speeches and includes a describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching". John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and was a New York State Teacher of the Year.
-
-
Very insightful.
- By Chelle on 07-16-15
-
Weapons of Mass Instruction
- A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
- By: John Taylor Gatto
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechanisms of traditional education which cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memorization drills. Gatto's earlier book, Dumbing Us Down, introduced the now-famous expression of the title into the common vernacular. Weapons of Mass Instruction adds another chilling metaphor to the brief against conventional schooling.
-
-
I will never see school the same
- By Nicole on 05-21-15
-
The Call of the Wild and Free
- Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education, A New Way to Homeschool
- By: Ainsley Arment
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by the spirit of Henry David Thoreau—"All good things are wild and free"—mother of five Ainsley Arment founded Wild + Free. This growing online community of mothers and families want their children to receive a quality education at home by challenging their intellectual abilities and nurturing their sense of curiosity, joy, and awe—the essence of a positive childhood. The homeschool approach of past generations is gone—including the stigma of socially awkward kids, conservative clothes, and a classroom setting replicated in the home.
-
-
Very enriching!
- By Peter Drouillard on 04-24-20
By: Ainsley Arment
-
The 5-Hour School Week
- An Inspirational Guide to Leaving the Classroom to Embrace Learning in a Way You Never Imagined
- By: Kaleena Amuchastegui, Aaron Amuchastegui
- Narrated by: Kaleena Amuchastegui
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Up early for class and up late for homework. Outdated, overcrowded schools are taking up our children's time and taking away from valuable life experiences. There's a better way to learn - and The 5-Hour School Week is how we hacked homeschool so we could enjoy our life and our kids! When Aaron and Kaleena Amuchastegui took their kids out of school to travel the globe and educate them through experiences, their children became more engaged, self-aware, curious, and passionate about learning. Now, they share their inspiring successes and practical advice.
-
-
very underwhelming
- By Amazon Customer on 10-31-19
By: Kaleena Amuchastegui, and others
-
Strong Like Her
- A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes
- By: Haley Shapley
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan, Haley Shapley
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journalist Haley Shapley takes us through the delightful untold history of female strength to understand how we can better encourage - and celebrate - the physical power of women. Part group biography, part cultural history, Strong Like Her delves into the fascinating stories of our muscular foremothers. From the first female Olympian to the circus stars who could lift their husbands above their heads, these brave and brawny women paved the way for the generations to follow.
-
-
very engaging
- By bzgl40 on 06-30-20
By: Haley Shapley
-
Skip College
- Launch Your Career Without Debt, Distractions, or a Degree
- By: Connor Boyack, John Taylor Gatto, Brittany Hunter, and others
- Narrated by: Tiana Hanson
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tens of millions of Americans owe a combined $1.5 trillion in debt for student loans. Much of this staggering expense has been unnecessary. Attending college is more of a tradition - a cultural rite of passage - than a necessary step toward a successful career, thus not justifying its steep cost. As countless entrepreneurs and creative hustlers have shown, there is a path to success outside of the institutions of so-called higher learning.
-
-
Not what I was expecting
- By Amazon Customer on 10-17-23
By: Connor Boyack, and others
-
First Freedom
- By: David Harsanyi
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For America, the gun is a story of innovation, power, violence, character, and freedom. From the founding of the nation to the pioneering of the West, from the freeing of the slaves to the urbanization of the 20th century, our country has had a complex and lasting relationship with firearms. Now, in First Freedom, nationally syndicated columnist and veteran writer David Harsanyi explores the ways in which firearms have helped preserve our religious, economic, and cultural institutions for more than two centuries.
-
-
A Must-Read/Must-Listen
- By Nathan on 01-22-19
By: David Harsanyi
-
Cosmic Careers
- Exploring the Universe of Opportunities in the Space Industries
- By: Alastair Storm Browne, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Steven Grimsley
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sierra Nevada, Northrup Grumman, Boeing, and Bigelow Aerospace built prototypes of deep-space habitats that NASA began testing in March 2019. Therefore, physical evidence exists that human beings are committed to living in space for purposes of research and industrial pursuits such as mining. Now that companies are set to take both professional astronauts and well-trained passengers into space as early as summer of 2021, this book will prepare you to take your place - whether as an investor, owner, employee, or enthusiast - in the exciting world of space exploration.
By: Alastair Storm Browne, and others
-
The Art of the Tale
- Engage Your Audience, Elevate Your Organization, and Share Your Message Through Storytelling
- By: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Narrated by: Steven James, Tom Morrisey
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone, regardless of their background and training, can improve their storytelling abilities. But what is a story? How can you tell it in a way that delights and informs your listeners? Take a journey into the keys to great storytelling with two of the country’s top experts on story presentation and speech writing.
-
-
Excellent
- By Debbie on 12-22-22
By: Steven James, and others
-
Animalkind
- Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion
- By: Ingrid Newkirk, Gene Stone
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the last few decades, a wealth of new information has emerged about who animals are: astounding beings with intelligence, emotions, intricate communications networks, and myriad abilities. In Animalkind, Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone present these findings in a concise and awe-inspiring way, detailing a range of surprising discoveries, like that geese fall in love and stay with a partner for life, that fish “sing” underwater, and that elephants use their trunks to send subsonic signals, alerting other herds to danger miles away.
-
-
Move aside National Geographic and Discover!
- By Tracy on 01-28-20
By: Ingrid Newkirk, and others
-
American Breakdown
- Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life
- By: Jennifer Lunden
- Narrated by: Anna Caputo
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Silent Spring for the human body, this wide-ranging, genre-crossing literary mystery interweaves the author’s quest to understand the source of her own condition with her telling of the story of the chronically ill 19th-century diarist Alice James—ultimately uncovering the many hidden health hazards of life in America.
-
-
Incredible insight
- By Amazon Customer on 04-01-24
By: Jennifer Lunden
-
More Than Just Making It
- Hope for the Heart of the Financially Frustrated
- By: Erin Odom
- Narrated by: Michelle Lasley
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More Than Just Making It is your invitation to reimagine what the good life can be. Join Erin Odom, a mom thrown into low-income living, to learn how to overcome your circumstances, find creative ways to earn and save, and reset your heart and budget according to God’s designs. Learn how Erin and her family saved enough money to put $30,000 down on a home, buy a minivan in cash, and begin sending their daughter to private Christian school.
-
-
Misleading
- By Julie on 04-20-18
By: Erin Odom
-
Teach Your Own
- The Indispensable Guide to Living and Learning with Children at Home
- By: John Holt, Pat Farenga
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2019, there were more than two million children being homeschooled. That number doubled during the pandemic and is now likely to continue increasing as more parents worry that school might not be the best place for their children to learn and grow. Teach Your Own helped launch the homeschooling movement; now, its timeless and revolutionary message of recognizing the ways children come to understand the world has been updated for today’s environment.
-
-
Loved it
- By Megan on 01-19-22
By: John Holt, and others
-
Good Judgment
- Making Better Business Decisions with the Science of Human Personality
- By: Richard Davis
- Narrated by: Tim H. Dixon
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From an experienced organizational psychologist comes a unique guide to learning how to better read and understand people and make improved, more informed business decisions about them—including choosing the right employees, fostering relationships in the workplace, resolving conflicts more effectively, and optimizing your performance on the job—using the science of personality.
-
-
Interesting approach
- By Armando Ascencio on 01-02-25
By: Richard Davis
-
How Children Learn (50th anniversary edition)
- By: John Holt
- Narrated by: Matthew Kugler
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and parents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how we can nurture and encourage these natural abilities in our children.
-
-
So many truths and treasures!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-20-19
By: John Holt
-
This Is the Voice
- By: John Colapinto
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, John Colapinto
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s no shortage of books about public speaking or language or song. But until now, there has been no book about the miracle that underlies them all - the human voice itself. Beginning with the novel - and compelling - argument that our ability to speak is what made us the planet’s dominant species, John Colapinto guides us from the voice’s beginnings in lungfish millions of years ago to its culmination in the talent of Pavoratti, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beyoncé - and each of us, every day.
-
-
Strange choice to become political
- By D & C Kochersberger on 01-27-21
By: John Colapinto
-
The Stowaway
- A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica
- By: Laurie Gwen Shapiro
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 1928: a time of illicit booze, of Gatsby and Babe Ruth, of freewheeling fun. The Great War was over, and American optimism was higher than the stock market. What better moment to launch an expedition to Antarctica, the planet's final frontier? The night before the expedition's flagship launched, Billy Gawronski - a skinny, first-generation New York City high schooler desperate to escape a dreary future in the family upholstery business - jumped into the Hudson River and snuck aboard. Could he get away with it?
-
-
A Nice Little Story About A Nice Young Man...
- By Gillian on 01-23-18
-
The World Behind the World
- Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science
- By: Erik Hoel
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history, two perspectives on the world have dueled in our minds: the extrinsic—that of mechanism and physics—and the intrinsic—that of feelings, thoughts, and ideas. The intrinsic perspective allows us to tell stories about our lives, to chart our anger and our lust, to understand our psychologies. The extrinsic allows us to chart the physical world, to build upon it, and to travel across it. These perspectives have never been reconciled; they almost seem to exist on different planes of thought.
-
-
An insightful overview of consciousness research
- By Vanilor on 07-27-24
By: Erik Hoel
What listeners say about Dumbing Us Down (25th Anniversary Edition)
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Meghan Poree
- 02-14-25
This was Life-changing!
As a single mom of 5 children. This was so helpful for me to decide to pull my kids from public school! If my kids are going to be indoctrinated, it will be with sound doctrine I decide to teach them, like the Word of God.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TJ
- 11-19-24
must read for anyone who cares about their family
can't recommend this enough weapons of Mass instruction one of his other books has even more convincing credible arguments for the case be made against our horrible public school system and board of education. home school if you can!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- anthony1429
- 12-16-24
All parents should!
This should be read by every parent before allowed to attend a standardized Education of their children in the USA!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sandswoodward
- 07-15-24
Book content
Love it! You will not be sorry you heard or read this book! Big motivation for homeschooling.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kasidi
- 09-06-24
Loved the book not the narrator
Narrator imbued an air of pompousness in his intonation. Felt contrived and obviously not the author speaking.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- T. Angus
- 09-07-24
Teachers Read This
Engrossing to the core! Examine your own education experience and question your own beliefs. Parents, grandparents, teachers and support staff must read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MM
- 12-21-24
Provoke Critical Thinking Surrounding Education
I first heard about John Taylor Gatto a few years ago, as his writing was suggested to me when I was first exploring the idea of homeschooling. If you have never heard of Gatto before, he was a public school teacher in New York City for over 30 years and also won the New York State Teacher of the Year award in 1991 - an impressive resume. Upon listening to the 25th Anniversary Edition of Dumbing Us Down I found myself enthralled with the discussion set forth. Since starting my family's homeschooling journey, while subsequently witnessing the public school journey of friends and family, Gatto's ideas frequently come to mind (along with the movie Idiocracy). Dumbing Us Down brings light to the destruction our school system enacts on the minds and hearts of our children.
There are different themes tied into Dumbing Us Down, which include talks and speeches delivered by Gatto over the years. Part of this book is a telling of Gatto's coming of age along the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania and journey towards becoming a school teacher, first hand experiences with students as both a substitute teacher and teacher in New York, and history lessons related to our modern day school system. Most importantly, in my opinion, is the point that schooling was used as a way to break children away from their parents. From John Cotton in 1650 to Horace Mann in 1850, there have been efforts to entrust our children to the "professionals" who know better. Parents have been left to feel inadequate. Gatto's work aims to restore that trust in parents and families, showing an alternative to our failing school systems where we continue to see decreases in reading and math abilities every year.
My favorite point from Dumbing Us Down is the encouragement and importance of self-knowledge and subsequent self-teaching. Gatto points out how most childrens' hours are spent either in school or in front of the television (in 2024 I would also include all forms of technology like phones and tablets too). There is little room for self-knowledge and problem solving, as independent time has become non-existent. Without self-teaching we have adults that are aimless and need complete instruction. It always blows my mind to think that just over a century ago a 16 year old would have the current equivalent of a college education. Gatto really empowers readers to go outside of the current norms in pursuing knowledge while also emphasizing the important need for family and community investment.
I would recommend Dumbing Us Down to everyone - not just those looking for an alternative to traditional schooling. I think the ideas presented allow for critical thinking and questioning of our education system- skills that are essential in life. My hope would be that teachers and students alike could open their minds to asking, "is this really what's best?" I hope that the 25th anniversary of Dumbing Us Down can bring this book the attention that it deserves as we examine the future of our education system in the United States.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- knelson
- 12-29-24
A Broken Education System
This book has been on my list to read for a few years. I was excited to receive a copy of the audiobook!
Gatto goes over how our school systems are broken, the education system as a whole. How not are children are exceling to their potential due to adults holding them back. He talks about how children are streamlined into "independent" workers who are groomed into being a part of a society that expects them to follow suit and commands. Gatto states, "How to be a good Egyptian and remain in your place in the pyramid".
As someone who homeschools for a lot of reasons Gatto discusses, this book really makes me think about how the education system has not changed since it was created. It was created to make people unable to think for themselves.
If you are considering homeschooling or what to read more about the education system, I encourage reading this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- B. LaFleur
- 02-07-25
Excellence
Until we are able to restore a humanistic version of school (predicated on a humanistic form of society), Gatto’s work will stand as a bulwark and a standard around which all who value our children can rally and resist the soul crushing nature of compulsory schooling.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!