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Dumbing Us Down

The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

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Dumbing Us Down

By: John Taylor Gatto
Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
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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 contains a description of the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching".

About the author: John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. A much sought after speaker on education throughout North America, his other books include Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling, A Different Kind of Teacher, and The Underground History of American Education.

©2002 John Taylor Gatto (P)2012 Post Hypnotic Press, Inc 21st Century Americas Childhood Education Education Modern Social Sciences Sociology New York Thought-Provoking American Education
Eye-opening Critique • Educational Reform Insights • Smooth Narrator Voice • Compelling Personal Experiences
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Homeschoolers love this book. Why? It points out (and exaggerates and makes blanket stereotypical statements about) all the ills of public education. Public school education has its problems and in an ideal world we could all be tutored one-on-one by George Wyeth as Thomas Jefferson was. (google TJeD) Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in. There are so many issues brought up by this book it would take a hundred volumes of the same size to discuss them all. What came first - the chicken or the egg? the breakdown of education or the breakdown of the family? This is a good listen. It will make you think...unless you can't because you grew up in a public school as I did. (sarcasm)

Do you want to pull your kids out yet?

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But full solution still not clear. Free market is an easy concept to fall back unto, but, isn't this a main feature of our - as argued in this book - ailing society?

Thought provoking

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Great book!

Gives a good insightful look into the short fallings of our school system. What we can do to better yourself and our children in the world of learning.

Dumbing us down

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I liked everything about this book, nothing to dislike! Everyone should read this book and decide to act upon it, don't let our kids continue to suffer!

The inconvenient Truth of public schooling. Break Away before it's too late!

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I liked how well rounded it was. It in no way condemned teachers themselves, but pointed out the inherit flaws of school in an accurate historic way. I loved the emphasis on more family time.

Very enlightening

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Must listen for all responsible citizens. Exposes the real function of the public school system.

Public Schools Exposed

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John Gatto has not only validated my assumptions of modern society and public school education, but he has done so with exceptional and exquisite writing. I will recommend this book to everyone I know.

A must-read for all

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If education itself is the key to unlocking all that is beautiful in this world, this book will forever serve as the grand indictment against what western societies are intentionally doing to our children, with the goal of controlling us all. Gatto's case for sainthood.

Most Important Book You'll Ever Hear

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This book shakes at the foundations of the banking model of education and offers suggestions as to how to actually educate students, rather than training them to be mediocre consumer labor cogs in the global machine. We need to create thinkers not submissives.

The revolutionary nature of clear problems

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packed with the meat of the information without all the fluff. great listen! being public school raised I couldn't agree more!

short yet meaningful book

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