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Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling Paperback Edition

by John Taylor Gatto (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 847 ratings
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“Gatto draws on thirty years in the classroom and many years of research as a school reformer. He puts forth his thesis with a rhetorical style that is passionate, logical, and laden with examples and illustrations.” ForeWord Magazine

“Weapons of Mass Instruction is probably his best yet. Gatto’s storytelling skill shines as he relates tales of real people who fled the school system and succeeded in spite of the popular wisdom that insists on diplomas, degrees and credentials. If you are just beginning to suspect there may be a problem with schooling (as opposed to educating as Gatto would say), then you’ll not likely find a better expose of the problem than Weapons of Mass Instruction.” Cathy Duffy Reviews

"In this book, the noisy gadfly of U.S. education takes up the question of damage done in the name of schooling. Again he touches on many of the same questions and finds the same answers.  Gatto is a bold and compelling critic in a field defined by politic statements, and from the first pages of this book he takes even unwilling readers along with him. In Weapons of Mass Instruction, he speaks movingly to readers' deepest desires for an education that taps their talents and frees frustrated ambitions. It is a challenging and extraordinary book that is a must read for anyone navigating their way through the school system." - Ria Julien - Winnipeg Free Press

John Taylor Gatto’s Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechanisms of familiar schooling that cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a by-product of rote-memorization drills. Gatto’s earlier book, Dumbing Us Down, put that now-famous expression of the title into common use worldwide. Weapons of Mass Instruction promises to add another chilling metaphor to the brief against schooling.

Here is a demonstration that the harm school inflicts is quite rational and deliberate, following high-level political theories constructed by Plato, Calvin, Spinoza, Fichte, Darwin, Wundt, and others, which contend the term “education” is meaningless because humanity is strictly limited by necessities of biology, psychology, and theology. The real function of pedagogy is to render the common population manageable.

Realizing that goal demands that the young be conditioned to rely upon experts, remain divided from natural alliances, and accept disconnections from the experiences that create self-reliance and independence.

Escaping this trap requires a different way of growing up, one Gatto calls “open source learning.” In chapters such as “A Letter to Kristina, my Granddaughter”; “Fat Stanley”; and “Walkabout:London,” this different reality is illustrated.

John Taylor Gatto taught for thirty years in public schools before resigning from school-teaching in the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal during the year he was named New York State’s official Teacher of the Year. Since then, he has traveled three million miles lecturing on school reform.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0865716315
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0865716315
  3. Edition
    Paperback Edition
  4. Publisher
    New Society Publishers
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  8. Print length
    192 pages
  9. See all details
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4.7 out of 5 stars
847 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They appreciate its good ideas on education and honest account of schooling. Many describe it as eye-opening, brilliant, and mind-blowing. Opinions differ on its enlightenment level, with some finding it fascinating and shocking, while others feel it exposes terrifying truths about kids and mandatory schooling.

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ReadabilityEducation valueEye openingEnlightenedness
64 customers mention "Readability"57 positive7 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They say it's a must-read for educators, their favorite, and reads like a novel. Many describe it as a work of genius and brilliance.

"...A must read!" Read more

"...(a huge work in which he exposes the errors of short-answer tests, bells, uniform..." Read more

"This is a must read book for every parent!!" Read more

"...(such as rambling discourse) Gatto ended up with a thought-provoking book truly worth reading, and worth the five stars awarded to it." Read more

60 customers mention "Education value"50 positive10 negative

Customers find the book informative and inspiring. It opens their eyes to the purpose of public schooling, and provides an honest account of schooling. The book is a great motivation for anyone considering homeschooling.

"This book really opened my eyes to the who purpose of public schooling...." Read more

"...His books are a great motivation for anyone considering home schooling, and are handy to loan to skeptical friends & family of home schoolers...." Read more

"...on the fence or even already in the know, this will ignite your enthusiasm about learning and doing it purposefully, far away from the “system”." Read more

"...There ARE better ways to educate children, but you have to look for them...." Read more

9 customers mention "Eye opening"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and thought-provoking. They describe it as a great look at how public education has evolved over time.

"...that went into writing this book is a feat of pure genius and brilliance...." Read more

"...Passionate and mind-blowing; I found doors swinging open in my mind as I read and said "Yes!" again and again...." Read more

"Very eye opening and to know that it has only gotten worse in the school system. Every parent should read this book." Read more

"Great eyeopening book of a professional from the US educational system. Although I'm not from the US you can see the system working overseas as well...." Read more

8 customers mention "Enlightenedness"5 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's enlightenment. Some find it fascinating and shocking, while others think it exposes disturbing truths about education systems that mentally handicap children.

"This book literally had my jaw wide open. It is one of the most fascinating and shocking books I've ever read in my life...." Read more

"...: that the purpose of public education systems is to deliberately mentally handicap children...." Read more

"...Gatto writes a great non-fiction piece that reads like a novel, I found it hard to put back on the dresser during nightly reading sessions, flew..." Read more

"This book was inspiring, intriguing, shocking and exciting. Every parent should read it. John Taylor Gatto is amazing and should be applauded...." Read more

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1 out of 5 stars
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Book arrive damp with warped cover and pages, I paid $18 for a new book and it’s unreadable
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Julie Patterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you challenge everything you thought you knew about the public school system!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book really opened my eyes to the who purpose of public schooling. It isn’t for the benefit of the people but the government and large corporations. A must read!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • T. Reed
    5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT motivation for home schooling! Also a great read for anyone concerned about the dwindling state of American education.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This school teacher with thirty years teaching experience reveals the inner workings of the school system and will make you seriously reconsider your view of education and how the school system has affected it. His books are a great motivation for anyone considering home schooling, and are handy to loan to skeptical friends & family of home schoolers. In this particular book he "focuses on mechanisms of compulsory schooling which cripple imagination and discourage critical thinking. Here is a demonstration that the harm school inflicts is quite rational and deliberate. The real function of pedagogy is to render the common population manageable, remove the obligation of child care from adult workers so they are free to fuel the industrial economy and to train the next generation into subservient obedience to the state."

    His books have helped me to rethink my view of education- what it can be, what it should be, and what it isn't in America. I've found this to be of great help as my husband and I have decided to educate our own children, so that rather than bringing "school" home, we instead incorporate education and real-life learning experiences into our life, and seek out apprenticeship opportunities for our kids. This is not a home schooling book though. Those who don't home school will benefit by realizing how deficient schools are, so that they can take up the task of filling the void in non-school hours.

    I also highly recommend reading his other books:

    Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling(which shows the deliberate dumbing down of the American School System, and displays "how the U.S. educational system cranks out students the way Detroit cranks out Buicks. He contends that students are more programmed to conform to economic and social norms rather than really taught to think.")

    The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling(a huge work in which he exposes the errors of short-answer tests, bells, uniform time blocks, age-grading, standardization, and all the rest of school religion. This groundbreaking, revolutionary work will change the way you look at the process and even the very concept of public education. Every parent should read this book! It shows how compulsory schooling came to be as it is in America with a lure of utopia and a very strong Prussian connection (which should be cause for much concern). It also exposes the affects of compulsory schooling on America, drawing both from history (showing alarming drops in education, literacy, and much more) and 30 years of school-teaching experience. You can read this one online for free from his website. (Amazon won't let me put in a link, so just google his name and you'll find it.)

    **Although I can't give a direct link in this review, you can find my website by accessing my profile. I mention that because I have a LOT of great resources on my site for those who are in the process of rethinking education and determining what that means for them and their children.**
    50 people found this helpful
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  • April Holland
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowingly good!!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024
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    This is a must read book for every parent!!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Donald N. Anderson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vitally important considerations for educated citizens
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    John Taylor Gatto has written another thought provoking book about the critical problem of allowing children to become educated. This one approaches the defects of current schooling from a number of directions that should leave no doubt about his reasons for objecting to compulsory schooling.

    I was a public school teacher for only a couple of years in the early 60's teaching science and math in a small rural high school. I did not experience the vicious corruption of purpose in the way that John Taylor Gatto did in New York. Never the less, I formed the firm opinion that schools supported by government were a serious mistake in a free society and were dangerous to that society's long-term health. It is small wonder that many of our citizens value freedom so lightly that they appear willing to give it up for an illusion of security. After all, most have been bored and conditioned by 13 years of government schooling to accept authority even without reasons.

    We need a full range of competing schools that offer the variety we find in fields such as food growing and delivery. We might also find that such schools carefully look for ways to deliver desired information more rapidly at lower cost. School costs have gone up at the same time quality has gone down. This is the picture of a failing institution, only government life support enables it to continue to miss-educate.

    Gatto has done us all a huge service by providing a history of educational thought in America and identified its roots and personalities. You would be correct if you thought my education school classes failed to mention this part of history. After reading his earlier books, I went back and read more thoroughly the musings of John Dewey and others. It was a revelation and something I felt was not compatible with the American ideals of freedom.

    I had always wondered why the classes in the education school were the worst classes in the entire college. After all, they should have learned something to become a professor of education. As teachers we always joked about how irrelevant those classes were to the actual work of a teacher. After reading Gatto, I suspect that those professors were selected because they were incapable of inspiring instruction and would fit well in the "dumbing down" process.

    Even in my own public school education in the mid 40's, I was taught reading without phonics. They failed to suppress my interest in reading, but did delay my competence in spelling. The "dumbing down" process was evident at that time although it was just getting well started. I shudder to think of the many of our fellow citizens who have been unable to break free and perform their own critical evaluations. And they vote!

    Private schools often mistakenly take leads from the public schools since the latter define the test content that all use to evaluate their standing. Mr. Gatto correctly identifies standardized testing as the first tool that needs to be destroyed to permit children to pursue an education rather than be schooled as obedient robots.

    I can't completely agree with Gatto's recommendation that folks omit most schooling in favor of education. I personally converted from an avid history major to a chemistry major after I found as a college freshman that history instructors added only trivia to the faster knowledge acquisition skills I had already acquired through reading. However in chemistry, my skills were inferior and I definitely benefited from an instructor's guidance. This was not true of all classes, but there was enough of the challenging to keep me interested for many years.

    I believe Mr. Gatto is entirely correct when he recommends homeschooling. The homeschooled students I have met were much better prepared and articulate than most of their contemporaries. They also fit well in the company of educated adults rather than participate in the resentments and conformity of perpetual childhood.

    Every parent and taxpayer needs to read this book and develop his own position on schooling and education after incorporating the information that Gatto so vividly describes!
    117 people found this helpful
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  • Turner Solari
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    As a homeschool parent the idea of compulsory education was long decided but this book expounds on the nefarious blueprint to keep Americans stunted. If you are on the fence or even already in the know, this will ignite your enthusiasm about learning and doing it purposefully, far away from the “system”.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • C. Wallace
    4.0 out of 5 stars What Are We Being Taught
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    It amazes me how schools were created to indoctrinate kids so they won’t think for themselves. We need to bring back critical thinking.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you very much seller.
    Reviewed in Germany on August 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Splendid. 👍
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  • Cal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening!
    Reviewed in Japan on December 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Very good book about education. While he makes some spurious claims, a lot of what he says about the systems of education around the world are very enlightening.
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  • Reviews are helpful
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book is an eye opener. It not only gave me reassurance that I had done the right thing by choosing to remove my unhappy children from school, it made me see my whole school life through a different lense. All feelings of doubt about swimming against the current and choosing to homeschool were replaced by a strong feeling that I was making the best and only choice for the wellbeing of my children.

    If you are thinking of homeschooling, unschooling,or have just started and are now in that zone of " oh flip! Have I done the right thing? Where do I start?!" Buy this book. If you have children at school, it is an even more essential read.

    Other books that have totally transformed our experience, taken away our fears, and given me amazing guidance and clarity are Teach Your Own by John Holt and Free to Learn by Peter Gray.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Veloaficionado
    5.0 out of 5 stars It ain't necessarily so…
    Reviewed in Australia on August 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Great analysis and debunking of one our society's Emperor's New Clothes myths - which it takes someone fearless and intelligent to reveal. We have to deconstruct the partial and skewed structure of the system as practiced to allow real change in society and the future to happen - to allow creative and rebellious energy to overthrow the creaky old white corporate apparatchiks that have been running the show for a century. JT Gatto does this, and makes you angry and inspired not to be fooled again, in equal measure. I'm a teacher teaching other things now, and I can't go back into the system before a move to break this hegemony is made. I'm adding my small part to this. Buy this book. It will change how you view schools, what education is for, and life in general.
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  • Bell369
    5.0 out of 5 stars Seek you'll find
    Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I like it. It's vital to be read and assessed -- very factual and inspiring. This material remains an outstanding source of informative debate for all who desires to know the power of hidden knowledge that will wake many up.
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