How I Got To Where I Am(John Taylor Gatto)

I’ve always enjoyed the idea of being a mentor. Passing down to those the information that has helped me, and will prevent them from making mistakes. I did this both in college at the Naval Academy(aka The Boat School) and later in the fleet as a Marine Corps Officer. 

At The Boat School, I sought out leadership and training roles my favorite being a detailer for the incoming candidates at the academic preparatory school in Rhode Island

My second favorite was as a senior squad leader with juniors, sophomores, and freshmen underneath me who I looked after and ensured their success. 

In the Marines as an officer leadership/mentorship was a constant especially as I earned more important billets as my time went on and had younger officers underneath me. But, during this time I got to serve my local church as one of their youth group leaders which I truly enjoyed. 

What Motivated Me? 

Movies 

If there was ever a slow day in my high school math class the teacher would always throw on, “Stand and Deliver.” A film about a teacher aiding his Latino students to achieve academic heights they didn’t think were possible. 

There was also, “October Sky” where with the help of a teacher who pushed them in the right direction, a few young men started their journey into the field of modern rocketry. 

And lastly, there was, “Remember the Titans” and about coaches bringing a mixed-race team together amidst a time of racial strife and eventually leading them to victory.

People In My Life

Family members, family friends, pastors, upperclassmen, superior officers, and more. They all got me to where I am today. And what did each of these folks do? They taught me and led by example. 

So I figured, “Why not do the same?” Use my love of passing on knowledge, my passion for helping others better themselves,  and my love of history and combine them. 

Trying to Become a Teacher 

I’ve talked previously about trying to become a teacher in another post but something else occurred during this time. 

I had a friend that I had met in the Corps that was more of a history buff than I was. When He found out that I was trying to get into teaching he mentioned a guy by the name of John Taylor Gatto and sent me a video of him in an interview.

This interview was five hours long but caused another paradigm shift in addition to my changing views on military service

The Man

John Talyor Gatto was a Chicago school teacher for 30 years who looked into the history of public schooling. What he found by looking into the writings of Horacce Mann, “The Father of American Education” was that school was designed not to teach but to condition. At that time, due to the industrial revolution and the explosion of factories, it was tough getting the average person to function in a way that would yield the best profit for that company. So guys like Horacce Man, and others, looked at the Prussian school system as a tool to mold later generations so that they could be better factory workers than their mothers and fathers. 

And this is the root of our modern education system. The Founding Fathers of America and their peers grew up with responsibilities in their preteens that most 20-year-olds couldn’t be trusted with today. This was all by design. 

Looking into John Taylor Gatto while getting into teaching was the equivalent of reading, “War Is A Racket” while going into the Marine Corps. 

Substitute teaching and networking with various teachers was difficult enough but realizing modern schooling as a form of conditioning almost took the wind out of my sails. 

My Worldview (In Those Days)  

Thanks to my Parents I grew up loving history as well as questioning things(sometimes). As I came back to the States from living overseas in Okinawa, Japan it became apparent to me how divisive the media was.  It was like someone standing behind the scenes manipulating things so people on both sides could be at each other's throats. 

In addition to this, all my history reading both in my leisure and throughout my time at the boat school were painting a picture of the future that looked very grim. I thought I could suit up, jump in the classroom, care for my students, and be a small drop in the bucket to guide us toward a better path that was more conservative. But looking into Mr. Gatto proved that to be futile. 

Becoming A Different Teacher 

But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on my passion to teach and to see a better world. I’m just changing my course as well as changing my toolset. Will things get better? Probably not. But it’s the pursuit of seeing a world that knows how to get strong without a gym or weights and that big pharma is trash fuels me. 

Once when I was chilling at my church’s youth group a kid asked me what I would be if I had no worries. My response was to have my own calisthenics gym with all kinds of bars. The past few years have altered my focus and I now know that health should take a more holistic approach.  

Thank you for making it to the end and comments are below. 

Until Next Time