Skip to main content

 How American schools create violence 

Hi everyone,

The video How American Schools Create Violence and Stupidity presents a powerful critique of the American educational system. It explores how traditional schooling methods may unintentionally contribute to student apathy, frustration, and even aggression. The speaker, John Taylor Gatto, a former teacher and educational reform advocate, argues that the structure of public education suppresses creativity, enforces conformity, and fails to respect the individuality of students.

One of the main claims is that the school system does not foster critical thinking or emotional development. Instead, it prioritizes obedience and routine. As stated in the video, schools “train children to be employees and consumers,” not independent thinkers. The video critiques the standardized approach to learning, where bells dictate behavior and students are sorted by age rather than ability or interest. This system, the narrator argues, strips young people of their autonomy and motivation. The result is what he calls “a system that creates boredom and frustration, which inevitably leads to violence.”

The video also touches on the psychological damage caused by the rigid school environment. Students are constantly evaluated, compared, and judged, which can lead to low self-esteem and resentment. The speaker argues that this approach “turns learning into a form of punishment,” and that true education must be rooted in curiosity and trust.

In my opinion, the video raises valid and urgent points. I agree that many schools, not only in America,  overemphasize testing and discipline while neglecting the emotional and creative needs of children. As a future educator, I find it troubling that students often feel powerless in their own learning journey. While structure and standards are necessary, education should not be about control, but about empowerment.

At the same time, I believe some of the criticisms in the video may be too one-sided. There are many teachers who genuinely try to make learning meaningful and personal. Blaming “the system” entirely overlooks the efforts of individuals who work against it from within. Moreover, violence in schools is a complex issue with multiple causes, including social inequality and family situations, not just educational policy.

Nevertheless, the central message remains powerful: education must be reimagined. We need to create learning environments that foster intrinsic motivation, creativity, and connection. As the video suggests, “kids learn best when they are free to explore, to fail, and to grow on their own terms.” This is the kind of education I believe in, one that nurtures the whole person, not just a standardized version of success.


References

Dumanity. (2025, April 3). How American schools create violence and stupidity [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBwn9wD9M6Q 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gender Differences in Bullying

  Gender Differences in Bullying Bullying is a serious problem that happens in many places with children and teenagers like in school in sports and in summer camps I work as a coach and monitor with boys and girls in these kinds of spaces so this topic is important to me One thing that I see often is that bullying is not always the same for boys and girls boys usually show more physical bullying like hitting pushing or shouting girls usually use more relational bullying like ignoring others spreading lies or leaving someone out of the group this is something that many studies say too For example a study by Villardón Gallego et al says that boys are more likely to be involved in direct and physical bullying while girls show more indirect forms like social exclusion or emotional pressure (Villardón Gallego et al 2021) this means that sometimes bullying by girls is harder to see but it can hurt just as much Also according to the International Journal of Environmental Research an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Audrie and Daisy (my opinions and way of thinking about it)

In this blog post, I brought you a documentary film mostly about 2 girls, Audrie and Daisy who had been sexually assaulted while being filmed and then cyberbullied. Audrie committed suicide in 2012 after all the things and the case happened to her. Daisy also tried to end her life by suicide multiple times right after the sexual crime and cyberbullying, but she was saved by her family every time (unfortunately in 2020, her attempt was fatal).    In the whole documentary we can meet both girls’ family and friends, talking about the things happened, which gives us a more emotional and devastating way of understanding what a sexual assault and cyberbullying can do to one person.   I do not want to give you spoilers or tell you the whole story; therefore, I would like to end my description here and truly advise you to watch it.     According to the World Health Organization, around 1 in 6 adolescents experience cyberbullying day by day and surprisingly and dev...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Definition of Bullying

 Hi everyone! The World Anti-Bullying Forum, together with UNESCO, created a Working group for establishing a new definition of school bullying. Its new definition keeps the idea that bullying requires unwanted repetitive aggressiveness and imbalance of power, and adds the idea that this power imbalance is supported by societal and institutional norms. The emphasis is now in the idea that bullying is not an affair among students but a social process. The new definition is this one: School bullying is a damaging social process that is characterized by an imbalance of power driven by social (societal) and institutional norms. It is often repeated and manifests as unwanted interpersonal behaviour among students or school personnel that causes physical, social, and emotional harm to the targeted individuals or groups, and the wider school community. You can find the document where it is explained  here . Fes
Post a Comment
Read more