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Dumbing Us Down
- The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
- Narrated by: Michael Puttonen
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Education & Learning, Education
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About the author: John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. A much-sought after speaker on education throughout North America, his other books include Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling, A Different Kind of Teacher, and The Underground History of American Education.
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What listeners say about Dumbing Us Down
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Dave
- 06-09-16
The most intelligent exposé of schooling.
The "education" industry is the mental plague of the modern world. As it gets more protracted, more expensive and more centrally controlled, the bonsai people, who are it's product, become increasingly disinterested in learning anything important, and invincibly ignorant.
The proof is in the pudding. Schooling does not support individual education and becoming potent, competent, responsible adults, because it is designed to do the opposite!
Gatto doesn't confine himself to one "subject" but calls upon history, philosophy, religion, anthropology etc. to illustrate his thesis.
3 people found this helpful
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- Rad
- 15-05-22
Dumbing Us Down
This work of Mr. Gatto is eyes opening piece!
I’m sure I’ll go through this book many times over and also study his website.
It is journey which allows you to finally understand why is all so terrible wrong and shows it all starting at school where humanity get trapped in that deadly downward spiral!
Highly recommending to all ages readers.
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- Amazon_Customer
- 04-02-22
enlightening
highly recommended reading for educators, parents, students and anyone with a capacity to think for themselves.
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- Kristie W
- 09-08-21
Brilliant.
Just brilliant. Puts into words everything I've felt throughout my life but couldn't verbalise regarding the school system. It left me upset and angry about my own experience, but more determined than ever to give my children an entirely different life. A fantastically thought-provoking book.
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- Anonymous User
- 21-04-21
Pure truth.
These are the exact frustrations I felt after graduating school. Only worded much better. Thanks.
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- I Coleborn
- 13-06-20
Something we all know deep in our hearts
A beautifully narrated and presented book. From a truly questioning mind with no agenda other than the genuine ambition to responsibly take his own role in schooling seriously and to care from a fundamental level. What a lovely man.
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- Abu-Sufyaan Patel
- 20-11-19
Great Book, Great Content!
This is a MUST-READ book for every parent, teacher, school leader and anyone involved in education in any capacity.
The tone of the narrator is occasionally dull and uninspiring although this definitely doesn’t take anything away from the quality of the book itself and the credentials of the author.
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- Chelle
- 16-07-15
Very insightful.
Any additional comments?
I don't know why I took so long to purchase this title! Definitely a food for thought listen, and not just for those disenchanted with the traditional schooling experience. I came away challenged to change the way my children are being educated, and we home educate!
11 people found this helpful
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- Cathy D. Schouten
- 28-04-15
He speaks the truth because he was a cog
what we all thought about our school-experience but were afraid to say outloud. Tremendously moving.
11 people found this helpful
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- Fleming
- 03-03-16
Astonishing
To listen to this book and recognize denied thoughts about formal schooling is astonishing. In the age of the computer it is hard to imagine institutionalized compulsory schooling still exists.
7 people found this helpful
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- Les
- 18-10-15
Excellent and inspirational
Answers many questions of why we feel short changed and unfulfilled on completion of our academic sentence.
Would recommend to anyone who has stumbles upon it ( that's serendipity) and is half thinking of reading / listening.
6 people found this helpful
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- Shawna
- 31-12-18
Wonderfully written
This is my most favorite book so far! It explains so much that is wrong with Society today! I pulled my own daughter out of public schooling her last 4 years! I was so happy to see her gain confidence that she never had while being schooled. No I understand what damages it had cases her in her young life.
5 people found this helpful
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- Lorbear
- 06-05-15
Engaging Book and Philosophy
This is a very powerful treatise on the state of the American school system. It met my expectations based on the title. The author gives many convincing examples to support the "Dumbing Us Down". I thought back many times to my education and wished I could have a "do over". If you are considering homeschooling your child, this book will give you the push you need.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jake
- 03-04-15
A valuable perspective
My professor suggested I read this as my interest in the flaws of education and the disconnect from the "real world" were so great that they brought me to question it. I don't agree with everything the others states but the core ideas and the over arching truth that this current system is not the way was clearly presented and better defined than any other resource I have found. Read it and see!
3 people found this helpful
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- Bill
- 08-03-15
Earth Shattering Truths Well Told
Read this book and understand why modern public education does not work and can not be reformed. Written by an award winning public school teacher who offers real ideas for an alternative approach to how we raise children in the 21st Century.
3 people found this helpful
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- Niall
- 25-06-12
Required reading to see why kids hate school
What made the experience of listening to Dumbing Us Down the most enjoyable?
This book is a collection of essays that were written by a highly decorated teacher discussing the ways he was ashamed to a pert of the American schooling process- I keep remembering him talking about how he would grant permission for a child to use the bathroom knowing they did not have to go- that they just wanted water to move around but he would consider this a kind of favor to be repaid, He mostly talks about how the current system kills the natural curiosity of children and ensures that they will despise learning and intellectual topics. For those wondering the only semi solution given is home school and there really is not a lot of advice in there for people who want to start homeschooling
What other book might you compare Dumbing Us Down to and why?
There are some good movies that follow this theme-- The War on Kids, The Cartel -and- Waiting for Superman.
If you could give Dumbing Us Down a new subtitle, what would it be?
The broken format of your kids' school
10 people found this helpful
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- Magnus
- 01-04-15
Illuminating
Loved it finish the book in two days could not put it down one of the most illuminating pieces of literature on education I have ever read.
2 people found this helpful