Summary and Response to John Gatto’s Article Essay Example for Free

Summary and Response to John Gatto’s Article Essay New York teacher John Taylor Gatto began admitting to himself that he want to quit teaching anymore in a public school after his 26 years of service, and his reason for this is the old system of educational curriculum that he said hurt children in any way it could while letting them learn. He even compared the school system to the training ground for animals. It was as if he condemned the lack of participation of parents in the formal schooling, and even exaggeratedly labeled the schools as killers of family orientation by stealing golden times of childhood and formative years and teaching children to disrespect their homes and parents. He then understood that he does not want to be a part of the systematic teaching on how to fit into the world as he ironically admitted how he wanted not to live in this world that he described as full of vulgarity, inequality, dependency, and so on and so forth. One example of dependency and inequality or discrimination of education system has been illustrated when he gave the case of Rachel and David. He explained the injustices of the system by demonstrating the usual notion that when the latter learns to read faster than the other, the tendency to depend on the system of the latter is much likely to emerge. On the other side, when the former would be marked as the learning disabled being too slow to read, she might then be categorized as it is all her life. John Gatto recognized the mere fact that the curriculum of education remains unchanged even if reforms kept on placing time after time. He was a self-confessed teacher although he was uncertain that he himself is an educator because he was no longer a believer of a stereotypical routine-like type of teaching. He knew that there are other ways in teaching kids without hurting them badly. He ended his article by placing a friendly appeal to the public of offering him jobs that would not hurt kids just to make a living for himself as he would soon be free to accept new job. As a response to Mr. John Taylor Gatto’s article published on The Wall Street Journal, I want to give him kudos for being true to himself. I do understand his sentiments as he expressed uncertainties of teaching profession that fell outside of his own principles in life. However, it is unclear to me his real intentions of publishing the so-called pre-resignation letter in a much read newspaper. It seems that he has just instantly realized all of these in just a snap. Otherwise, he only have the guts to stood for his own beliefs and takes the opportunity to address his life long sentiments just after 26 years of serving public school as a teacher. For me, the radical adventure of government schooling, as said by Mr. Gatto, would be the best way to teach and discipline kids during their formative years. Parents are born to support and raise their own kids, and there is neither a licensure exam nor school for such. Teaching profession has, which means that teachers are valid to take charge on a step by step formation. Besides these teachers might also be the product of the old education system that Mr. Gatto is trying to denounce. Lastly, and to clarify my own points of view, my belief to the old norm of public schooling is not comparable to my recognition John Taylor Gatto’s life lesson and his more than two decades and a half of being a sincere teacher even if he does not want to be called educator ever again. R E F E R E N C E Gatto, J. T. (1991, July 25). I May Be A Teacher But I am Not An Educator. The Wall Street Journal.