Glyphia's zine: Free Your Mind...
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Free Your Mind. . .
Introduction:
You may be thinking "Hey, what's wrong with school? Sure everyone hates it, but don't all the things that are good for you taste bad?" Or maybe you're thinking "I know school is really messed up but I have to go don't I?" The answers are No and No! Hopefully this guide will illuminate the situation.
The myth of school is that it teaches children what they need to know to grow up and become productive members of society. That is not what schools do nor is it what they are meant to do.
John Taylor Gatto a New York public school teacher in his book Dumbing Us Down outlines 7 things schools teach:
1.Confusion:
“Everything I teach is out of context. I teach the un-relating of everything.”
- Schools actually discourage learning; people who don't know much are easier to control.
2.Class Position:
“That’s the real lesson of any rigged competition like school. You come to know your place."
- Schools are designed to teach children to accept their place in our class system. There are no official classes but here's what the unofficial class system looks like according to Paul Fussell (I've added the 1st column for where people from each group most likely went to school and remember children are a class too under adults):
| Elite Private Schools | Invisible Top: the super-rich, heirs to huge fortunes |
| Upper Class: rich celebrities and people who can afford servants | |
| Private Schools | Upper-Middle Class: self-made well-educated professionals |
| Middle Class: office workers | |
| Public Schools | High Prole: skilled blue-collar workers, generally belonging to a union |
| Mid Prole: workers in factories and the service industry | |
| Low Prole: migrant farm-workers and casual laborers | |
| Juvenile Detention | Destitute: the homeless |
| Invisible Bottom: those incarcerated in prisons and institutions |
3.Indifference:
“Indeed, the lesson of bells is that no work is worth finishing, so why care too deeply about anything?"
- The task is not as important as whether or not the student is obeying authority.
4.Emotional dependency:
“By stars and red checks, smiles and frowns, prizes, honors, and disgraces, I teach kids to surrender their will to the predestined chain of command.”
- see #6
5.Intellectual dependency:
“Of the millions of things of value to study, I decide what few we have time for, or actually it is decided by my faceless employers….Curiosity has no important place in my work, only conformity.” Gatto says this is “the most important lesson, that we must wait for other people, better trained than ourselves, to make the meanings of our lives.”
- With any job that is professionalized (meaning one needs a piece of paper to say they can do it) the people in that profession want others to rely on them to do that job. If people find out that they can do the job on their own the professional will become obsolete. Making children think they can't learn on their own is job security for teachers, administrators, etc.
6.Provisional self-esteem:
“The lesson of report cards, grades and tests is that children should not trust themselves or their parents but should rely on the evaluation of certified officials. People need to be told what they are worth.”
- This is just another way that schools control children and teach them they aren't worth anything without authorities to tell them they are.
7.One can’t hide:
“Surveillance is an ancient imperative, espoused by certain influential thinkers [such as Plato, Augustine, Calvin, Bacon, and Hobbes]. All these childless men…discovered the same thing: children must be closely watched if you want to keep a society under tight central control.”
(Gatto also has a book on the history of American education listed in the Additional Resources section at the end. If you think that school is just doing a bad job of educating children instead of intentionally teaching them these things then I recommend reading this book.)
To break it down in other terms schools are teaching children to be Exploitable, Draftable, Imprisonable, and Docile.
So, in a way schools are teaching children things they need to know to grow up, that is if they're supposed to grow up to become good little soldiers and inmates. Essentially children are being institutionalized.
institutionalized - Given the character of an institution or incorporated into a structured and usually well-established system
| School | Prison | Military | |
| Authoritarian Structure | X | X | X |
| Dress Code | X | X | X |
| Special Permission needed for going from one part of the facility to another | X | X | X |
| Emphasis on Silence and order | X | X | X |
| Negative Reinforcement (Solitary Confinement, Verbal abuse, etc.) | X | X | X |
| Walk/March in lines | X | X | X |
| Loss of individual Autonomy | X | X | X |
| Abridged Freedoms | X | X | X |
| No input in Decision Making | X | X | X |
| Set times enforced for waking, eating, etc. | X | X | X |
| Random searches of personal belongings | X | X | X |
| Mandatory drug tests | X | X | X |
| Armed Guards/Police present to keep order | X | X | X |
Schools are similar to prisons, the military and other institutions in many ways. All three want you to believe they have the right to deprive you of your basic human rights. Although many of their practices do violate individuals human rights, no one can take away someone's human rights (this will be discussed more later).
Schools, prisons, and the military are all notorious human rights violators but of them people seem to accept schools' violations more because children are considered property and therefore subhuman. Children belong to their parents and everyone belongs to the state, so the state starts training its property early for its own ends. Those ends could be slave labor in prison, foot soldier in Iraq, or complacent consumer.
Fun Fact: The United States has more people in prison than any other country in the world and that includes China. The U.S. also has the highest percentage of its population it prison with over 2 million people jailed, that's approximately 1 in every 143 people, and the number is only increasing (there's a new prison being built right now in Rockford, IL as I type this). Over 50% of the people in prison are there for nonviolent crimes.
Government Schools teach that governments grant rights, but human rights are not granted by any government, they just exist and cannot be granted or taken away. Government schools also lie to students to make them believe they don't have rights til they're 18.
Here's some questions students should be asking themselves about the human rights environment in their schools:
- Are students expected to obey teachers without understanding the orders?
- Are students given a voice in making and enforcing school rules?
- Is the grading system used to impose discipline, or to promote a few at the expense of many?
- Are students humiliated by teachers?
- Is discipline humane?
- Is there a student council?
- When do students see the Principal?
- Is the Principal's office door opened or closed?
- Are all students treated equally?
- Is there a student council?
- Are students elected/selected democratically for this council?
- What values are promoted in school rules?
- Are students expected to blindly obey all rules for the sake of obedience and discipline?
- Are there rules that humiliate students, such as having to get permission every time they need to use the toilet?
- Are punishments irrelevant or unfair?
- Do school rules apply to all students equally?
- Can students help to make the rules or are they imposed on them?
- Are living conditions in the school building healthy?
- Is there a playground?
- Are students involved in making their classroom comfortable?
- Are students' paintings, poems and writings displayed on the walls?
- Is the work of less able students also displayed?
- Are learning materials and equipment equally available for students regardless of gender or social status?
- Do students have a private, secure place where they can leave their belongings? Or where they can be alone?
| Student Rights Violations |
| Freedom of Expression/Dress Codes -Student Natalie Young, was suspended in 2002 for wearing a t-shirt saying "Barbie is a Lesbian" to school. She sued and won a $30,000 from a settlement with her school. |
| Unreasonable Searches and Seizures -The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of three Mumford High School students who, along with their entire student body, were subjected to a mass physical search on February 18, 2004 pursuant to a Detroit School Board policy that allows periodic “sweeps” without notice. |
| Freedom of Speech -In a victory for student rights in cyberspace, a county judge ruled that public school officials cannot punish a student for free speech outside of school. The ruling by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee came in the case of Karl Beidler, who was suspended for a month last year from Timberline High School in Lacey, for posting an Internet parody lampooning the school's assistant principal.
Access to Bathroom Facilities -Access to such facilities is a basic human right, no one needs permission to use the bathroom. |
| Privacy/Unreasonable Searches -More and more schools are testing kids for drug use. And so far, the courts are divided on the question of when and why schools may test students for drugs. Laws vary from state to state, in part because some state constitutions provide more protection than others do for students' privacy rights. The ACLU is at the forefront of the fight to stop unconstitutional drug testing of students. |
| Due Process/Group punishment - A group of confident fourth graders showed up at a Lagunitas School Board meeting to let trustees know that they and 15 of their classmates feel punishment in their class is being meted out unfairly. The fourth-grade Montessori class signed a petition which read, "We, the following people, think it is not fair that the teachers can take away our recesses. Especially if they take recess away from the entire class if just one person is talking." |
| Due process/Zero Tolerance -In yet another case of zero tolerance school policy, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine filed a lawsuit on behalf of ninth-grader Tracy Jannicelli, who was denied her right to due process when she was expelled by school officials for violating her school's zero tolerance drug policy, which bans possession or use of Tylenol. That's an extreme example the fact is that schools don't have due process. Accusations teachers and administrators throw at children mostly go completely unchallenged unless the student's parents disagree and get involved. |
So what can children do? The best thing would be to DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT DROP OUT!
If that does not seem to be an option then the next best thing would be to be educated and then DROP OUT. Dropping out really is an option and even parents should agree when faced with the facts about what schools do. School Reform really isn't an option people have tried going as far as suing the schools, but courts often side with the administration, and despite instances when students do win the same violations continue to occur. Here's an excerpt taken from Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men which is about the best that can be expected from schools and that's if students fight them:
Guide to Student Rights
As an American student you probably haven't learned much about the U.S. Constitution or about your civil rights, so here's a handy guide based on information from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). For more facts about student rights, on subjects including dress codes, your school records, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, contact your state chapter of the ACLU or check their Web site at www.aclu.org/students/slfree.html.
- The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to free expression and free association. And according to the United States Supreme Court, these rights even apply to you, the lowly student--at least some of the time.
- In 1969, the Supreme Court (in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District) ruled that the First Amendment applies to students in public schools. Private schools have more leeway to set their own rules on free expression because they are not operated by the government.
- Public school students can express their orally and in writing (in leaflets or on buttons, armbands or T-shirts), as long as they do not "materially and substantially" disrupt classes or other school activities.
- School officials can probably prohibit students from using "vulgar or indecent language," but they cannot censor only one side of a controversy.
- If you and nther students produce your own newspaper and want to hand it out in school, administrators cannot censor you or prohibit distribution of the paper (unless it is "indecent" or handing it out disrupts school activities).
- But administrators can censor what appears in the official school paper (the one that is published with school money). In the 1988 decision Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, the United States Supreme Court held that public school administrators can censor student speech in official school publications or activities (like a school play, art exhibit, yearbook, or newspaper) if the officials think students are saying something inappropriate or harmful--even if it is not vulgar and does not disrupt any activity.
- Some states--including Colorado, California, Iowa, Kansas, and Massachusetts--have "High School Free Expression" laws that give students expanded free speech rights. Check with your local ACLU to find out if your state has such laws.
Dropping Out Is Easy To Do!
In IL there is literally no regulation homeschooling, so even if you not of legal age to drop out, now 17 in IL, your parents can simply pull you out by filling out a school withdrawal form stating you are to be homeschooled. There really is no regulation in IL on homeschools. There are no tests that have to be taken and no one has to come to your home to check on you. School officials will try to lie to coerce parents to keep their children in school (they get government funding for every student so of course they want as many as they can get). They will tell parents everything from there are minimum number of hours they much teach each individual child to there being tests or certifications homeschoolers munt pass. DON'T be fooled, the only requirement is that if contacted by the school you must respond. It is recommended that parents send the school a letter stating the child/children are homeschooled and are being taught all the required subjects. DO NOT fill out any official forms, you may be putting your homeschool under the jurisdiction of the school district by doing so. (Laws concerning dropping out and homeschooling vary by state)
School Speak Dictionary
(New, Redefined, Common words used in schools, and Other words pertaining to school)
Education - activities that impart knowledge or skill. This is not schools' main function although it does happen sometimes despite the extremely adverse environment for it.
Independent - agreeing with the teacher; not working with other students (yikes working with others is a sure fire way to learn something, no wonder it's not allowed.)
Indoctrination - teaching someone to accept doctrines uncritically. This is schools' purpose, not education as most people think.
Insubordination - defiance of authority. This term is misused since teachers and administrators in schools use illegitimate authority over children. If a child were to talk without raising their hand or go to the restroom without permission they maybe accused of insubordination, but since these are human rights this authority to grant permission for these things is illegitimate.
Freedom - what the citizens of non-communist countries have. This is a very vague and abstract idea that is thrown around in school and the media quite a bit. It really means the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Even our current president says, "There should be limits to freedom." The ugly truth is that schools, governments, etc. are imposing limits on a regular basis. It's glaringly apparent especially for school children who aren't even allowed to speak in class without permission especially with their fellow students (they might learn something by doing that so that definitely is not allowed).
Obscene - This word means offensive to the mind but in schools it is what is offensive to those in authority and not the majority of people concerned. A student may be accused of obscene language for speaking out against the hierarchy for example regardless of their choice of words.
Truth - what the teacher or the textbooks say. Students are taught that anyone in the hierarchy above them is automatically right and should not be questioned that includes teachers, parents, governments, etc.
Zero-Tolerance - not tolerating differing opinions or choices. Without tolerance democracy doesn't work since there is no democracy in schools it's fitting that they choose thesepolicies.
Additional Resources
(Don't Just Believe Anything You Read Find Out For Yourself)
Print:
- Art of Propaganda: the Everday Use and Abuse of Persuasion by Anthony Pratkanis & Elliot Aronson (This book is recommended to begin unschooling yourself)
- the Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
- Dumbing Us Down, A Different Kind of Teacher & The Underground History of American *Education by John Taylor Gatto
- How Children Fail & How Children Learn by John Caldwell Holt
- "Such Such Were the Joys" an essay by George Orwell
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
- A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (for those interested in a view of American history that does not come from the ruling elite)
- Days of War Nights of Love by the CrimethInc. collective
On the Web:
- Radio Free School
- School Survival
- www.johntaylorgatto.com
- Infoshop Deschooling & Youth topics
- Privacy Watch Children & Student's Rights catagorie
- www.zerointelligence.net site dedicated to fighting school board inanity
- Human Rights in Education
- The Natural Child
- www.crimethInc.com
Film:
- Breakfast Club
- Dead Poets Society
- Good Will Hunting
- 3 o'clock High
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