John Taylor Gatto
14 Principles of Elite Private Schools
I received a newsletter from LDS Home Educators Association with the link to this and a couple of other videos. Joyce Kinmont calls the principles John Taylor Gatto presents in this talk “The Hidden-in-Plain-Sight Curriculum,” and states that this curriculum creates leadership. Here is a summary of that information:
- A study of the theory of human nature—what makes people tick? To gain this knowledge, you need to study history, philosophy, theology, literature, and law.
- Strong experience with active literacies (writing and public speaking)--They are given consistent opportunities to speak in front of an audience they don't know, and they write daily.
- They learn about the major institutional forms—courts, corporations, military, etc.
- Repeated exercises in forms of good manners, politeness, and civility as these are the basis for all future relationships and alliances.
- Independent work—Public school teachers are in charge of filling 80% of the students' time. In these schools, this number is switched (about 20% of their time is filled by teachers).
- Energetic physical sports—confers grace = power & money later on in life. It also helps them deal with handling pain and emergencies.
- They are given complete access to workplace or people as mentors or for information instead of just textbooks. Teach them how to access the people they need.
- Responsibility—care for animals, clean school, community service, leadership opportunities in clubs.
- Personal code of honor—production, behavior, morality.
- Familiarity with master creations in art, music, dance, architecture, literature, and drama.
- Power of accurate observation & recording. (Sounds like Pyramid Project to me!)
- Ability to deal with challenges of all sorts, i.e. Shy child = public speaking opportunities to challenge them.
- Develop a habit of caution in reasoning to conclusions.
- Constant development in testing of judgment—make judgments, discriminate value, follow up on predictions to see what actually occurs.