English 1101x
Dr. Rieman
April 7, 2010
Is School really necessary?
All throughout my educational career I had never taken the time to reflect on what school really meant to me and if school was made optional would I still attend? After reading the essay “Against School,” by John Taylor Gatto a series of questions began to arise in my head. Is school really that necessary? Is it really the only way for a person to be successful in life? According to John Taylor Gatto schools are nothing but merely “laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands (38).” After reading Gatto’s essay I must say I agree. The educational school system in the U.S …show more content…
With the college drop out rate being almost 50%, it is clear to say that the structure of our educational system does a very poor job of functioning with students. We all have different personalities as well as ways of learning and interacting with others, however society still makes it mandatory for students to go to school. In today’s society most companies will not even look at your resume if you do not have some type of degree or diploma that states that you attended some type of school and therefore are considered educated. This is unfair to other people who have the experience they need and the knowledge of the field but their only problem is that they do not have a paper or “diploma” that states …show more content…
This is because I too had been a victim of conformity. I attended school because that was expected of me, and what I had been forced to since I can remember. Society has had us trapped for too long and like Gatto says, it’s not until we all take a stand that we can all change the school system for the better. It is possible to make learning interesting and desirable for children and this way our society as a whole will become more educated. A diploma does not make a person educated rather their level of intelligence, amount of experience, way of thinking, and a vision for life all of which are not thought in