How traditional schooling kills your individuality in 7 ways and 5 solutions to get it back
John Taylor Gatto spent 30 years teaching in New York public schools and won multiple Teacher of the Year awards. Then he did something unexpected: he publicly quit, declaring that he was no longer willing to "hurt kids to make a living."
His book "Dumbing Us Down" exposes how the American schooling system creates conformity rather than fostering individuality. Here's his analysis and what we can do about it.
The 7 Ways Schools Kill Individuality
1. Confusion
Classes are fragmented into 50-minute periods with no deeper connection between subjects. Students learn to accept disconnected facts without seeing the larger picture or asking "why does this matter?"
2. Class Position
Students are constantly ranked, sorted, and compared. This creates a permanent hierarchy where people learn their "place" in the social order rather than discovering their unique value.
3. Indifference
Just as students get interested in something, the bell rings and they must move on. This teaches them to not care too deeply about anything—a trained indifference to their own enthusiasm.
4. Emotional Dependency
Students learn that their self-worth comes from external validation: grades, teacher approval, gold stars. This creates adults who constantly seek external validation rather than developing internal confidence.
5. Intellectual Dependency
Good students wait for the teacher to provide answers, discouraging intellectual exploration and self-reliance. The system rewards compliance and punishes original thinking that doesn't fit the prescribed answers.
6. Provisional Self-Esteem
Your worth is always contingent on your most recent performance. There's no time to develop stable, enduring confidence because you're always being re-evaluated.
7. Surveillance
Students learn they're always being watched and judged. Privacy becomes suspicious. This normalizes constant monitoring and external control rather than self-direction.
The Hidden Curriculum
What students actually learn:
- Wait for permission to think or act
- Your thoughts and interests don't matter
- Conform to avoid punishment
- Competition is more important than collaboration
- You need constant supervision
- Your value comes from external measures
The Real Purpose
Gatto argues that the system was designed not to educate but to create:
- Obedient workers who follow instructions
- Predictable consumers
- Citizens who accept authority without question
- People disconnected from family and community
5 Solutions to Reclaim Your Individuality
1. Self-Directed Learning
Take control of your education. Learn what genuinely interests you, not what someone else thinks you should know. The internet has made this easier than ever.
Action steps:
- Follow your curiosity down rabbit holes
- Complete projects that matter to you
- Learn from books, courses, mentors—not just formal education
2. Develop Internal Validation
Stop seeking constant approval. Build confidence from your own assessment of your work and growth.
Action steps:
- Keep a journal of your progress and insights
- Set your own standards of excellence
- Celebrate your growth regardless of external recognition
3. Build Deep Knowledge
Instead of shallow knowledge across many disconnected subjects, go deep on what interests you. Become genuinely skilled rather than superficially informed.
Action steps:
- Pick 2-3 areas for deep focus
- Spend extended time (months, years) developing expertise
- Make connections between your areas of interest
4. Create Your Own Projects
Don't wait for assignments. Create meaningful work that reflects your interests and values.
Action steps:
- Start projects that solve real problems
- Make things you'd want to exist
- Share your work with people who care, not for grades
5. Build Authentic Community
Connect with people based on shared interests and values, not arbitrary age-based grouping.
Action steps:
- Find communities around your interests (online and offline)
- Build relationships across age groups
- Collaborate on meaningful projects with others
The Transition Challenge
If you've been through traditional schooling, you've been trained in the behaviors Gatto describes. Recognizing this is the first step. Unlearning takes time and intentional effort.
You might notice:
- Waiting for permission to start things
- Seeking approval before trusting your own judgment
- Difficulty focusing on one thing deeply
- Discomfort with self-direction
- Comparing yourself constantly to others
These are normal. You're essentially reprogramming years of conditioning.
For Parents
If you're raising children:
- Supplement or replace traditional schooling where possible
- Encourage deep interests over broad shallow knowledge
- Let them experience self-direction and consequences
- Value their unique perspectives and questions
- Model authentic learning and growth yourself
The Bigger Picture
The goal isn't to blame teachers (many are trapped in the same system) or to romanticize the past. It's to recognize that:
- The current system was designed for a different era and different purposes
- Individuality and genuine education often conflict with institutional schooling
- You can take responsibility for your own real education
- It's never too late to reclaim your intellectual independence
Conclusion
Traditional schooling may have shaped you, but it doesn't have to define you. The individuality it suppressed is still there, waiting to be rediscovered.
Start questioning. Start learning what genuinely interests you. Start thinking for yourself. Start creating instead of just consuming. Start building relationships based on shared values rather than institutional proximity.
Your real education begins when you take responsibility for it.