Gatto and Friere

            John Gatto and Paolo Friere agree that our school system is corrupt. Gatto calls it “crippling” and Friere refers to it as “treating people like objects.” They both feel as if our school system treats everyone as if they were the same [objects] and that neither the teachers nor the students are able to contribute real value in this system. They disagree on the reasoning behind ours schools being corrupt however. Gatto sees it as crippling students chances of really being educated, as to where Freire sees it as educating them, but in a mindless, robotic way. Gatto claims that the goals of public education are, “to make good people, to make good citizens, and to make each person his or her personal best.” Friere staes that the function of the school is run as “the teacher teaches and the students are taught; the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing; the teacher thinks and the students are thought about; the teacher talks and the students listen – meekly; the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined; the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply; the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the teacher…” They agree that the school has decided and what should be taught and hoe it should be taught and that both of these things are corrupt, and unjust.