Free Schools

After reading “ Free schools” by Dewitt Clinton and “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto both have two completely opposite ideas about school and make very valid points. Dewitt Clinton believes that everyone should be educated and schooling should be free so people of all wealth could be educated where as John Gatto believes that not all people need school and in fact by making it mandatory it becomes boring. Gatto argues that school days are too long and seem to be never ending for twelve years, but this isn’t including college. Clinton on the other hand states to improve the ignorance in government education is needed. He says ignorance is the cause of bad governments. Although this is a valid point John Taylor Gatto brings up famous historical industrial leaders and says “ They were not products of the school system,” which proves his point that school should not really be mandatory for everyone. Even though Clinton has a good idea and means well to help society one will feel that Gatto’s arguments is more valid in any society

Dewitt Clinton feels education will help develop a less ignorant government in response to the quote “ Man differs more by man, than man from beast”, “this remark, however generally false, will certainly apply with great force to a man in a state of high mental cultivation, and man in a state of extreme ignorance”. Clinton advises us that there are different types of funds, some larger then others, that help the people pay significantly for an education in the school system. He refers to crime and ignorance as evil and gets this word from the people less fortunate and uneducated for one reason or another to help argue his point, that education should be a main priority an everyone should be educated.

John Taylor Gatto the real reason for public education is to waste time and to teach people how to be bored. Gatto says that in schools when he was teaching he would always ask the students why they were bored and always get the round about of the same response. The students would tell him that the teachers made it boring and that they barely knew anything about the subject they were teacher nor were they interested in it so they never tried to explore any more than what they already knew. After stating this argument he then lists some famous people in history, like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Twain, and Edison; all known for a variation of different things that were never a product of the school system. One would have to believe that what he is saying is true being that from most peoples job experiences and positions is it not what you know it is who you know. What usually helps people first get the job yes is education but after that they are on their own unless they know someone to help boost them up the pole of higher positions.

From past experiences one would have to agree