“Down With the System”
Having a permanent record and determining each student social role in society is basically what the diagnostic and directive functions are defined as. The school system spends years building a personal database of every student according to their performances by standardized tests and grades, which in turn determines the student’s chances to get into the best or worst colleges. We are taught early on that if we keep a good record we shall be rewarded. For example, I remember in middle school that for every grading period that we kept our grade point average above 3.0 we were rewarded with ice cream root beer floats. That ties to being a good citizen and good people as well. If you follow the rules and laws, you shall be rewarded with a good job. Our permanent records include our criminal records to influence potential companies their employee selection. So if we were bad in school we are destined to fail in life according to the government. According to Gatto, we are just devoted to the scheme that one gets ahead by pleasing authority, and trained to consider advancement primarily as the road to increasing one's happiness and status. Once the government has singled you out and determined your social purpose, the government then gives you only enough preparation to keep you at what your worth. So if you’re singled out as a high achiever you will be given the best resources while the average stays average with the bare minimum resources to pass. I still remember when after scoring very well on a standardized state test I was promoted in school to the so called “gifted” classes. There, everyone was fed more challenging materials and greater information and preparation for college. As if to say that if you didn’t show your worth on state tests, you were considered a failure and a percentage that the government needs to have to keep the labor workforce going. College preparation materials and information were kept for only the people that...