No one has given him the impression that he is not capable of reading. He assumes that he will soon be reading on his own. All it would take would be one negative experience with reading instruction to discourage him from enjoying books. Clearly he would be a square peg in a round hole at our neighborhood school. Unfortunately, he is not unique.
Schools have many dehumanizing aspects as well.
Students are required to ask permission for even the most basic human needs, such as food, water or a chance to go to the bathroom. Children are made to stand in lines and change activities at the sound of a bell. As New York City's 1990 Teacher of the Year John Gatto has pointed out, the similarities between most schools and a rigid, factory-style workplace are not accidental. Compulsory public schooling came about as a direct result of the need for a more productive workforce in Industrial America. Even today, educators and government officials speak openly of schools as the place where this country's workforce is created.