John Taylor Gatto
Biography:
John Taylor Gatto completed his undergraduate work at Cornell, the University of Pittsburgh, and Columbia. He then served in the U.S. Army medical corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Following his military service, John did graduate work at the City University of New York, Hunter College, Yeshiva, the University of California, and Cornell. After college, he worked as a scriptwriter, an advertising writer, a taxi driver, an ASCAP songwriter, and other assorted jobs before becoming a schoolteacher. John has been named New York City Teacher of the Year on three occasions. He then quit teaching in 1991 while still New York State Teacher of the Year, claiming that he was no longer willing to hurt children.
Later that year he was the subject of a show at Carnegie Hall called "An Evening with John Taylor Gatto," which launched a career of public speaking in the area of school reform. John is currently at work on a documentary film about the nature of modern schooling entitled The Fourth Purpose, with his friend and former student, Roland Legiardi-Laura. He also hopes to build a rural retreat and library for the use of families pondering local and personal issues of school reform.
Past Shows:
Education Reform
Appearing during the middle two hours, education reformer John Taylor Gatto offered a critique of the American school system. First hour guest, Arthur Blessitt spoke about his decades-long mission in which he carried a 12 foot wooden cross around the world. In the last hour, author Lionel Fanthorpe talked about his new book on lost treasure. ... More »
Host: George NooryEducation Reform
Legendary teacher and reformer John Taylor Gatto presented a scathing critique of our compulsory education system. He told how in 1991 when he won the award of New York's Teacher of the Year, he audaciously quit the profession, saying that he could no longer abide by the faulty structure. Schools turn out "incomplete people" who become indoctrinated into the work force, he declared. Citing the educational focus on memorization and short answer tests, these "weapons of mass instruction," turn out a more docile population, that has not learned the skill of thinking comprehensively, said Gatto.Over the years, he has become impressed with many home schooling efforts. Freed from the strictures of the institutional settings, these students often show much more progress in intellectual and character development, he said. He recommended the book Hard Times in Paradise by David and Micki Colfax for their insights into the home schooling process. ... More »
Host: George Noory