Dumbing Us Down

by John Taylor Gatto

New Society Publishers · 1991

Thirty years of teaching in the New York City public schools led John Taylor Gatto to conclude that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders, limit their imaginations, and render them dependent on institutions. In this widely praised book, originally given as a speech upon receiving the New York City Teacher of the Year award, Gatto reveals the seven lessons taught in all schools.