What will you do for John Taylor Gatto?

Here's to you too John!

John Taylor Gatto! A hallowed name to those of us interested in liberating learning from the monopoly of compulsory, institutionalized schooling. Gatto- Great Gatto! Champion of freedom in learning.
"You don't get an education. You take an education."
"Genius is as cheap as dirt. "
Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist."
And more. Much, much more.

Now Gatto needs our help.
Jerry Mintz at AERO is doing something grand for Gatto and I hope that after you read this note Jerry has sent around, you will be doing something too. I know I am- just as soon as I've published this post!

Here's what Jerry writes:
As many of you may remember, educational visionary John Gatto had two serious strokes nearly a year ago and has been hospitalized off and on since then. He is now at home trying to recover. His economic resources have been depleted and he needs our support right now. When we first announced John’s plight we had hundreds of people send get well and thank you messages through us. Many spoke at length about how John’s talks, books and personal intervention had impacted their lives. Many asked if there was something they could do to help. Now there is. John needs funds for medical needs and personal rehab that his depleted insurance no longer covers. I’ve visited John and his wife, Janet, in their New York apartment and can tell you that his mind is as sharp as ever. He even thinks he has another book in him.

To facilitate support for John Taylor Gatto, AERO has organized a fundraiser.

All proceeds will go to his support. They are tax deductible as this is an AERO project. Donations can be made for any amount. For donations in amounts not listed on our site, please call the AERO office to make payment arrangements at (516) 621-2195.

If you donate $50 you will get, as a premium, a copy of John’s latest book, Weapons of Mass Instruction.

If you make a $100 donation you will receive a signed copy of one of the last hard cover versions of Dumbing Us Down.

If you make a donation of $150 or more you will receive the beautiful, just released, five DVD set of Gatto interviews called The Ultimate History Lesson.

We are hoping to raise $3000 this week.

Here are some excerpts about the DVD set by Monica Perez:

"If you’ve never heard of John Taylor Gatto you are really missing something. John Taylor Gatto was New York City Teacher of the Year three times when he worked in Harlem. He quit his job, while still holding the title of Teacher of the Year, in an oped article in the Wall Street Journal saying that he no longer wished to hurt children. Gatto is one of those very rare people who have the intelligence, character, drive and interest to pursue the truth for its own sake, to actually succeed in uncovering some of it and to share it with those of us ready to recognize it.

Although Gatto is a wealth of information, insight and revelations, he is also a joy to watch. Witnessing his honesty, curiosity, intelligence, sanity and good judgment are testaments to what is finest in man and I doubt I would tire of listening to him ever–so rich, broad and deep is his wealth of knowledge.

But beyond the general joy of learning I get when I listen to Gatto, I find that his contribution is most relevant to me in two specific ways: First, Gatto lays out a comprehensive, novel (nowadays anyway) and scrupulously thought-out and tested approach to education. Second, Gatto explains the history of modern schooling and how and why we moved away from his traditional, intuitive approach to educating our young to what we have today, which he clearly distinguishes as schooling as opposed to education…"
Do it. Donate right now before you forget!