Relevancy of schools and schooling - Argumentative essay

Comments about a quotation by John Taylor GAtto

Schools and schooling are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes anymore that scientists are trained in science classes or politicians .... The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders.

Greetings!

My first thought upon reading that quotation was "Says who?" If schools don't teach anything, then we should not let doctors treat us if we become ill. That would mean the person on the other end of the scalpel doesn't know any more about removing an appendix than the patient! I think perhaps the main point here is that the view expressed in the quotation is a gross exaggeration. There are complaints from many quarters that schools, especially in the U.S., teach too much by rote memorization and not enough through discovery; however, that's a long way from saying that schools "don't really teach anything."

Interesting subject! :-)

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com