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With more context and eloquence, John Taylor Gatto has been saying this for years: adolescence is artificial, and dangerously so. See his sketch of the future
by limist 16y ago
With more context and eloquence, John Taylor Gatto has been saying this for years: adolescence is artificial, and dangerously so. See his sketch of the future Admiral Farragut, who took his first command at age 12:
http://johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/1q.htm http://johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/1q.htm
...and of course, Ben Franklin:
http://johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/1r.htm http://johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/1r.htm
- ahoyhere 16y agoHooray! Somebody who has someone with more experience and authority to cite than "my kid" or "PG says." JTG and related changed my life. I quit school at 14 and never looked back. And never once regretted it.
- mechanical_fish 16y agoI quit school at 14 and never looked back. I'm not normally one to advocate my own career path -- I didn't leave school until I was twice as old as you were, and that was probably too long -- but just because you don't look back doesn't mean that others won't. School can be a lot of fun, if it's your thing and you approach it properly. For example, I don't regret having taken the time to learn physics. It's nice to understand physics, quite apart from its economic value.
- mmt 16y agoSchool can be a lot of fun, if it's your thing and you approach it properly. For example, I don't regret having taken the time to learn physics. Those are big ifs, and are equally applicable to learning outside of a formal setting.
- mechanical_fish 16y agoYes, I agree. Indeed, yours is my usual default advice. ;) One thing I'd note is that I decided to go to grad school just before the web was invented. School is far less tempting today, now that you can listen to many of MIT's best lecturers from your basement via the web.
- ahoyhere 16y agoI didn't say "Hey kids, you should go drop out!" Just because you feel awkward about your career path, doesn't mean you should conflate my personal statement about mine with advocacy.
- euroclydon 16y agoAnother big point JTG makes is that the current crop of wealthy producers have no need for 80% of the smart people out there who might get an education. So why not keep them in school and hence not in competition with the established producers, for as long as possible?
- stretchwithme 16y agoI've heard that unions were big proponents of universal compulsory education when it was being introduced. Some say it was for the very same reason.