John Taylor Gatto, New York state teacher of the year, gave a speech called “The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher.” Mr. Gatto says that all teachers in America teach these seven lessons whether they realize it or not.

Lesson #1- Confusion. Everything is taught out of context.

Lesson #2- Class Position. You come to know your place.

Lesson #3- Indifference. The “lesson of the bell.” When the bell rings, you drop whatever you’re doing and proceed to the next work station.

Lesson #4- Emotional Dependency. Surrender your will to the predestined chain of command who use stars, red check marks, smiley faces, frowning faces and prices.

Lesson #5- Intellectual Dependency. We must wait for other people who are better trained than ourselves to give us meaning for our lives. Successful children do the  thinking they are assigned with a minimum of resistance and a decent show of enthusiasm.

Lesson #6- Provisional Self-Esteem. People need to be told what they are worth.

Lesson #7- You can’t hide. The meaning of constant surveillance and denial of privacy is that no one can be trusted and privacy is not legitimate.

To learn more about what John Taylor Gatto has to say, read Dumbing Us Down.