🐴 Why John Taylor Gatto Quit

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IN THIS EDITION:

🍎 The former Teacher of the Year who exposed education's "hidden curriculum"
🍎 Why teaching comprehension like phonics doesn't work
🍎 5 powerful mental razors for clearer educational decisions

💡 THOUGHT

THE ADOPTION PARADIGM

"Schooling is a form of adoption. You give your kid away at his most plastic years to a group of strangers."

These words come from John Taylor Gatto, three-time New York Teacher of the Year who quit at the peak of his career.

Why did an award-winning educator walk away? He refused to continue teaching what he called "the hidden curriculum" – seven dangerous lessons that shape children for compliance rather than creativity.

Read more about these hidden lessons (and how to avoid them) →

📊 TREND

BEYOND THE ‘FIVE PILLARS’

When a principal saw minimal improvement in reading scores despite implementing science-backed phonics instruction, she was bewildered.

Reading researchers Catts and Kamhi explain why: we've misunderstood comprehension. Unlike phonics and fluency, comprehension isn't a skill but a complex ability dependent on knowledge.

Their solution? Teach comprehension through content-rich curricula in science, history, and the arts. North Carolina schools that implemented this approach saw significantly better standardized reading test scores, with gains sustained over time.

Meaningful learning happens when reading connects to content that builds knowledge systematically. The question shifts from "How well can my child read?" to "How much is my child learning from what they read?"

🔨 TOOL

MENTAL RAZORS

Need simple rules to cut through complex decisions? Mental razors are elegant thinking tools that eliminate bad options and clarify choices.

Here are five powerful razors for your parental toolkit:

The Feynman Razor: If you can't explain it to a 5-year-old, you don't understand it. Perfect for checking whether you truly grasp a concept before teaching it.

The Rooms Razor: Choose environments where you're likely to be the least knowledgeable person. This creates optimal conditions for learning.

The Gratitude Razor: When in doubt, show more gratitude to people who have mentored or supported you.

The Uphill Decision Razor: Choose the option that's more difficult in the short-term. The path of resistance often leads to greater rewards.

The Lion Razor: To do creative work, be a lion: Sprint when inspired. Rest. Repeat. Don't force creativity on a schedule.

Which razors have you found most helpful in making educational decisions?

(h/t: Sahil Bloom)

That’s all for today! See you tomorrow.

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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