John Taylor Gatto talked about his book Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling (New Society Publishers; October 1, 2008). In the book he discusses compulsory schooling that he says cripples the imagination and discourages critical thinking. He also argues that spending a fortune on college tuition doesn’t necessarily lead to acquiring an education. He responded to questions from audience members.
This program of the Free State Project’s 2009 New Hampshire Liberty Forum was held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2009,
John Gatto was a teacher in New York Public Schools for almost three decades. He was named New York City Teacher of the Year three times, and in 1991, New York State Teacher of the Year. He is the author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling; The Exhausted School: The First National Grassroots Speakout on the Right to School Choice; and The Underground History of American Education