Dumbing Us Down (25th Anniversary Edition)

The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

By: John Taylor Gatto

Narrated by: Michael Puttonen, Adam Farnsworth

Throw off the shackles of formal schooling and embark upon a rich journey of self-directed, life-long learning

After over 100 years of mandatory schooling in the U.S., literacy rates have dropped, families are fragmented, learning "disabilities" are skyrocketing, and children and youth are increasingly disaffected. Thirty years of teaching in the public school system led John Taylor Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling is to blame, accomplishing little but to teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine.

He became a fierce advocate of families and young people taking back education and learning, arguing that "genius is as common as dirt," but that conventional schooling is driving out the natural curiosity and problem-solving skills we're born with, replacing it with rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment.

Gatto's radical treatise on public education, a bestseller for 25 years, continues to bang the drum for an unshackling of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes to learning, it's poised to continue to shake the world of institutional education for many more years.

Featuring a new foreword from Zachary Slayback, an Ivy League dropout and cofounder of tech start-up career foundry Praxis, this 25th anniversary edition will inspire new generations of parents and students to take control of learning and kickstart an empowered society of self-directed lifetime-learners.

©2017 John Taylor Gatto (P)2024 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.

One of the best books of our time!!

I have experienced every aspect of Gatto’s thought process in this book, although I had not included the aspect of community! This makes so much sense and tracks at every level. These ideas are not to be forgotten. Ever. Based in principal, I assume, it carries over in so many other aspects!

All parents should!

This should be read by every parent before allowed to attend a standardized Education of their children in the USA!

Digestible Powerhouse

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if they have children. Great information in a short format.

Book content

Love it! You will not be sorry you heard or read this book! Big motivation for homeschooling.

Incredibly inspiring and eye opening

This book made me think! So many children resist the modern model of schooling- they are probably the most intelligent. What an incredible view this book provides of the way a teacher must be ready to shut down learning to educate. I love that the writer was not just a teacher but an accomplished highly recognized teacher with a deep understanding of what it takes to teach in that structure. I loved this book and highly recommend- anyone that went to public school can appreciate.