You may or may not be familiar with John Taylor Gatto, but he was an award winning teacher from New York City who used unorthodox methods of education to get students connected to the real world. He later went on to quit his teaching job, admitting that the educational system was harmful to children. He also wrote a well researched book, The Underground History of Education, which detailed the social experimentation and manipulation that the American public has been subject to over the decades. In this video, Against School, he relates his observations:
I highly recommend his material if you are researching the best educational path for your child. He often quotes how the elite private schools in the country operate and notes that they are nothing like our public schools, but teach how power structures operate and independent thinking. His work has checked the historical record and noted who set up our public system and for what purpose. Gatto also makes the point that a fine education is available for free. To paraphrase the famous movie Good Will Hunting, “you spent $100,000 on a college education that could be gotten at public library”. This is a good point to keep in mind when you are choosing educational options in your homeschool, because it need not be expensive. In my book, The Complete Guide to Homeschooling, you will notice I have a shoestring plan on local resources that are free and inexpensive!
