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Weapons of Mass Instruction (Highlights)
“Weapons of Mass Instruction is probably his best yet. 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. If you are just beginning to suspect there may 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 Weapons of Mass Instruction.” Cathy Duffy Reviews Next up in the GATTO series is a focus on his book, Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling. The book is both a…
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The John Taylor Gatto series
This is a continuation of highlighting the work of John Taylor Gatto, former New York Teacher of the Year. You can find his resignation letter on my Instagram or Facebook page. It is the post entitled, “I quit, I think”. Gatto was a vocal critic of public schooling in America after spending almost 30 years inside classrooms. For some, his words will be a welcomed explanation to something you have known all along or felt in your gut but just couldn’t quite put into words. For others, his words will be uncomfortable. Particularly if you are a current teacher, currently have children enrolled in public schools, or believe public school…
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Finding the Opportunities Underneath this Quarantine Burden
We are experiencing the largest global effort to distance ourselves from one another than anyone alive has ever seen. This call to action goes against the very nature of our humanness, which is to gather socially. I know it will be a huge mental and emotional challenge for many people. My wish for each of us is that we will find, underneath this burden, opportunities. The light in the dark. The purpose inside the pain. The soulful connection despite the physical distancing. While we are social by nature and seek out activities that bring us together, many of us will be spending a lot more time with our own family…
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Top posts of 2019
2019 has been a big year for the Let ’em go Barefoot community! The number of supporters has continued to rise and the amount of overall engagement on Facebook and Instagram has stopped me in my tracks quite a few times. What has excited me the most is the noticeable shift in perspectives. The things that stir me and inspire me to write are typically not topics for the masses, but this appears to be changing. More people are seeking information about educational choices. More people are seeking articles and research that speak to the critical importance of the early years of a human’s life. More people seem to understand…
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Are You a Conscious Educator?
I have been in the classrooms of our public and private schools. I have been on the administrative side. I have seen amazing people work magic with “difficult” kids, I have seen teachers who love their job and joyfully show up each day to be in the midst of the children they serve. I have also seen the dark side of the classroom: the shaming talk, the disappointing glares, the frustrated tones and the cold attitudes. And it is not pretty. It has been said that “teaching is the hardest job in the world”. Usually at a rally to roaring cheers, but also in a coffee shop or around a conference…
