Summary Of Dumbing Us Down By John Gatto

John Taylor Gatto, a New York City schoolteacher for over thirty years, wrote Dumbing Us Down as a means of expressing his belief that the compulsory government school system has little to do with the education of an individual. Gatto’s book on the failing education system is made up of essays, commentaries, and speeches that he has composed over the years. According to John Gatto, this compulsory schooling system - along with television- diminishes individuality, which is more important in life than regimentation. He expresses that with the manner in which the education system is set up, teachings of indifference and intellectual dependency are integrated into schools which in turn do not allow for students to gain a purpose for themselves.