A while ago we came across this book titled “Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden curriculum of Public Schooling”. It was published 20 years ago by John Taylor Gatto, who himself was a public school teacher for 30 years and had won “New York City Teacher of the Year”.

In his book, he disclosed the hidden agenda of mass education – school, drawn from his 30 years of first-hand experience. There are lots of shocking information in this little book, yet the author provides profound insight into the origin and purpose of modern school. Homeschooling parents would find this book further support their decision of taking control of their precious children’s education while public school parents would be provoked to reconsider the difference between “school” and “education”.

As I am reading the book, I cannot help but echo what the author described as the consequences of my 10 years of compulsory schooling. I remember feeling lonely, indifferent to the real society, angry and empty inside. I was constantly comparing and being compared with other students. I was constantly judged by numerous teachers and my parents every day, based on my s scores on tests and exams. This was the formula of “success”, or so I was told at school: good grades -> good school -> good college -> good job -> good life. In other words, if you can’t get good grades at school, you are doomed for the rest of your life. And indeed, classmates with high grades were the teachers’ favourites while less “gifted” students were looked down upon, as if their future were already decided.

Now I have my own family and have met people from all walks of life. I have to disagree with the success formula provided by the teacher. I have seen people with minimum “education” have a much more fulfilling and happier lives than people with high marks at college. I found out that people with hardworking attitude, critical thinking, passion for life, and a loving heart are far more successful than a person who only know how to “ace” an exam.

You see, school teachers do not train us to find the purpose and meaning of our lives. It is actually forbidden to share about the personal values, world views and perspectives of lives in schools today. Facts only. But our children, as little people who are needed to be educated to grow up to be human beings with integrity, can no way be nourished in an environment of facts only. (Of course, Christians can fulfill their greatest calling of their lives by following Jesus Christ. However, if and only if they can come to meet and know Jesus Christ in such an environment that teaches evolution and man’s glory.) Schools were designed to provide mass education to the public so that the corporations and government can readily “control” the population. Think about it. All the curriculum were designed by so-called “experts”. Every student has to use the same curriculum.

However, studies have shown us that each child is different. Some children develop earlier while some are “late bloomers”. However, by imposing the age-segregation idea and standardized tests, all of a sudden each child becomes the same. If you happened to be a good reader, you are “gifted”. If you happened to be a slow reader, you might have some learning difficulty syndromes. The grading system instantly generates “class system” in school and society. Each student is labelled according to their performance, not according to his/her distinct character or a human as a whole.

I believe school damages a child much more than teaching him or her knowledge. School doesn’t teach us survival skills and characters that are crucial to a person in his life. I encourage everyone to read this book carefully.