Classrooms of the Heart - John Gatto (1991)

This short documentary profiles the visionary school teacher John Gatto.

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[prayfertrey]

I can see some ppl. mistaking this as another call for some kind of reform... the only reform needed is for coerced instruction to be abolished. It's destructive and amounts to psychological abuse. And it teaches parents not to be good parents because they think the school will do it for them.

[annecollierful]

Can't believe I ran across this. I was the reporter on this story - actually a 3-part series - which won a Unity Award in '91 or '92, and which John had edited (nicely) into a single piece. Susan Kerr was my producer on this (for World Monitor, then a nightly news show on The Discovery Channel). John was then New York State Teacher of the Year. Loved working on this project with you and your students, John!

Anne Collier

Net Family News

[REASONINFUSION]

@MuzotAi All kids care about are Sex, games, money, drugs/intoxicants because they think that is all there is to life! if you look at all of those desires, they are all used to numb themselves to the reality of what the world demands of them. Happiness without those things only come about when you are happy with who you are and have been allowed to be.

[Vote4RonPaulLiberty]

"...without fear, contempt, or mockery of lives that are more unfortunate than their own..."

Beautifully stated.

[Vote4RonPaulLiberty]

@prayfertrey Amen.

[MuzotAi]

these kids back then are way smarter then the new generation, I know because I am one of them myself (although I am not a sheep following the others). All kids care about is sex, games, money drugs/intoxicants.

....

[Sabriyah21]

this guy is saying what should be common sence--too bad it's not common to most people who refuse to believe that school is not the only way to learn. Common sence, for example when he said we turn our kids into parasites--he is right, history has 13 year boys leading countries, being great worriors and scholars, kings and resouces for their families. When are we going to stop fushing good years of our childrens lives down the la trine.

[Pentazoid111]

An "education" bureaucrat thumbed down this video.

[PracticalTheorist]

@annecollierful And thank you for making the piece! There are too few reporters who actually do useful clips like this one, so thank you for illuminating a true american hero!

[annecollierful]

Afterthought on viewing this now in the context of working for 21st-century teaching and learning in school/out of school: What struck me most about talking with John, meeting and talking with his students, watching one of his classes, etc., was his respect for his students. I love what you captured in this edit of my TV piece, what he said about how there is no thought in philosophy or civ that isn't accessible to a 13-yr-old mind. Only 1 example of that respect. Tx again 4 posting this.

[SavvyHorseTutor]

John Gatto has spoken what needs to be said. People who take responsibility for their own learning experience will be people who take responsibility in other areas of life as well. Spoon-feeding and indoctrination as is found in the process of humanistic institutionalized schools will never result in genuine learning; rather, the result will be a brainwash and systematic approach to robotizing future worker bees who consume rather than give.