The Right To Control One's Learning John Holt Analysis

What is the main argument the author makes and how does it apply to contemporary education?

General Education requirements for students results in a longer time to actually work on minor and major requirements. Allysa Pracz, Oral Communications teacher at Northern Illinois University, holds a just and honest opinion that General Educations classes are useless because they may have nothing to do with one’s major. For instance, a college algebra course would obviously have no effect on a student studying Creative Writing. The only question left to answer would be, why do such requirements exist? It could also be understood that courses required in fact focus on what students should have learned in high school. Pracz recalls her freshman year in college, stating, “I remember as a freshman taking classes such as ENGL 103 or COMS 100. Yes, both classes may be beneficial to some, but they mostly just rehash concepts and skills that the majority of students already possess or will pick up in other courses throughout their academic careers.” College students should be somewhat familiar with the basic concepts of many subjects offered, such as writing papers or algebra. It could also be proven that students are not quite interested in classes that they see as useless. For instance, students who major in Apparel Merchandising would have no interest in taking biology courses. Disinterest could ultimately result in bad grades and a low GPA for students.

When students think of educational schooling, they think of grueling hours of sitting in a classroom and getting lectured about things they do not believe they will ever apply to the real life. Maybe it is just me. Not many students in the more richer and developed countries will ever realize how privileged they are. It is so easy to say that they do not like or want something even when it is presented to them. However, there are still places that are not given the opportunity to improve their lifestyles because they do not have an access to schooling. Access to education is a very important factor to bridge the gap between developed and underdeveloped countries. It is also the reason that humans have gotten this far in history. Without teaching

Mandatory, enforced schooling is common all over the world, and is generally seen as a public good, and a privilege of first world countries. However, author and teacher John Gatto argues that mandatory schooling destroys your ability to be free thinkers and therefore should not exist, in his piece “Against School”. Despite his effective use of ethos, Gatto’s argument fails to be convincing due to logical fallacies, and a lack of evidence or first hand experience.

Some people believe students should be required to take a music, a drama, or an art class. This requirement could prove problematic for many students. Students would be unable to take necessary classes before college. The classes should be electives because some people may want to take more advanced classes, some people do not have talents in the arts and if students are forced to take the classes, they may not focus as much.

In some schools there is only standard subjects. These classes do not teach you things you will need, outside of school such as cooking or how to pay bills. In order to prepare students for outside of school rather than just them being taught what they need to pass school, there should electives. It is important students know how to take care of themselves. Ultimately, having classes for students will give them a chance to learn how to be on their own.

The main courses that we are taught throughout elementary and high school are English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. While those subjects are important, not everyone will use those studies throughout their lifetime, whereas if they taught subjects like balancing a checkbook, how to fill out job applications and write a resume, how to do an interview, first aid, and so many other skills, everyone would carry that with them and find that information useful after they get out of high school.

In “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto states that, “Boredom is a common condition for teachers and students.” The text questions if we really need forced schooling as a necessary part of our society. The text reads that schools are confining, restricted and do not promote a real education. A problem I have observed in the public schools, is the fact that all children do not learn in the same manner or at the same pace. There is no cookie cutter mold concerning education that all individuals can incorporate into. Standardized tests and curriculum in a one size fits all method is not an effective way for children to learn.

I will be focusing on my point of view for Holt’s argument. I don’t support some of the author’s point of view. He states in his writing that children are not allowed to be themselves anymore they do what they are told to do not what they want to do. School is a very important part of the child’s life they should attend to school. In some primary schools the children are the ones that create their day there in way the teacher only provides them with a schedule. He states that children are like prisoners that they have no option to say also teachers can tell the children what they want them to in their class. In my point of view children should attend school for their own good so they can get an idea of what might happen when they enter an elementary school.

High school is meant to educate students and prepare them for college. Many high schools require students to earn certain credits in order to graduate including basic core classes, physical education and fine arts, however, many schools do not require to take a very important class, Money Management.

Today, a school education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather a need in the United States of America. The author of “Against School,” John Taylor Gatto says, “Do we really need school?” (143). What if children will not go to school, then how will they learn to read and write? Education is the demonstration of learning things around us and helps us to comprehend an objective in life. Most people who believe that children need higher education in order to succeed in life. We often don’t understand why we have to go to school every day, but when we grow up we realize that children need to attend the school for a wide range of reasons, for instance; for new experiences, increased knowledge or career preparation. School

After someone completes high school, their first step is figuring out what kind of career they want to pursue. Most careers require a college degree just to apply. At this point, they should decide what their major is going to be and see what college is best for them to attend. Every college requires “general education” classes that the students must pass to graduate. Taking these extra mandatory classes is just time lost that college students will never get back.  General ed classes are also a waste of money, as many students acquire major debt from trying to pay for these required classes. If students were able to only take courses that help them in completing their major, more students would actually finish the classes and get their degree instead of dropping out. Universities should not necessitate students to take these general education courses that have nothing to do with the their major.

In this day in age education has become an extremely important part in people’s lives. In America, it is necessary that children attend school and in many families it is a given that the kids will attend college after graduating high school. Many companies will not hire people on as employees unless they have gotten some sort of degree from college. Many people go to school for almost two decades of their lives so it is extremely important what schools are teaching. Ken Robinson questions what students are being taught in school and if what they are learning is truly beneficial to them.

Learning mathematics, history, science, and English are of course necessary, but the system also fails to teach us the fundamentals it takes to become a functioning adult. In

Education is an important structure in society that shapes the most important years of your life, and therefore many theorists have ideas about what is wrong with education, what is right, and what needs to change or develop. Education is confined a lot by social control and social reproduction. Social control is a concept that refers to how social systems control the way we feel, think, behave, and even how we should present ourselves. These can appear openly, shown as rules and laws, or they could be not openly acknowledged and just appear as the “common” thing to do. Social reproduction is the reproduction of inequalities throughout generation-to-generation, one way education does this is how it supplies “wealthy” schools more and “poor” schools less. Michael Apple and Maxine Greene both define Social reproductions and Social Control. Throughout this text, I will explain the theories of Greene and Apple, as well as comparing and contrasting them against one another while applying some of my own experiences of education.