Stop Stealing Dreams
What is school for?
School hasn't.
School was invented to create a constant stream of compliant factory workers to the growing businesses of the 1900s. It continues to do an excellent job at achieving this goal, but it's not a goal we need to achieve any longer.
In this 30,000 word manifesto, I imagine a different set of goals and start (I hope) a discussion about how we can reach them. One thing is certain: if we keep doing what we've been doing, we're going to keep getting what we've been getting.
Our kids are too important to sacrifice to the status quo.
[We have a new cover! Thanks to http://www.asasku.blogspot.com/]
The TEDx talk
You can get your copy for free
- The On Screen version
- Use this one to read it on a computer or similar device. Feel free to email to the teachers, parents and administrators in your life.
- The Printable edition
- This is the same document, but formatted for your laser printer or the local copy shop. You are welcome to make copies, but please don't charge for it or edit it. (And I fixed two typos and added the missing link to Doc's book).
- Here's the Kindle edition
- You'll need to download it and then plug in your Kindle via a USB cable. Drag the file to the Documents folder on your Kindle and boom, you're done. I'm told that you can also open it with the Kindle reader on your Mac, PC or iPad.
- The ePub edition
- This should work with other types of ebook readers, but I haven't tested it. Your mileage may vary, and if it doesn't work, the PDF should. Readers have told me that this opens on their iPad as well.
- The manifesto in HTML on the web
- Useful for cutting and pasting, I guess. The PDFs are easier to read. Now improved with easy to link to chapters...
- How I built the manifesto, plus back up links
- If any of the links above don't work, you'll find back up PDF downloads here, as well as a long-ish essay about how I built them.
- Jeff's modified epub file
- Jeff generously tweaked this version so it reads better on your screen. No warranties or refunds, but give it a try.
- Improved Nook edition
- Devon built this for us.
- 42 quotations from the manifesto
- Ivana takes her pick of 42 tweetable quotes.
- NEW! A fabulous new, easy to use audio edition
- Thanks to Zia Hassan for contributing this
- The bumper sticker!
- Yes, the 30,000 word manifesto has been reduced to a killer bumper sticker. Check it out.
How to get a free digital copy--formatted for your screen
Just click on the picture of the seagull
There are several versions of the manifesto.
One is a PDF designed to be read on your screen. Feel free to email this anyone you think might want to read it. You're also free to post it on a website, as long as you don't edit it or charge for it.
The other featured edition is a PDF formatted to be printed on any printer. Feel free to make as many copies of this as you like and hand them to people who might benefit from a discussion about what we're investing our time and our money and our future into.
If you have a Kindle or a Nook or any other device, see below for some links on how to import the PDF to your device. I also created special editions that are easy to transfer directly to the Kindle or Nook. And, as a bonus (once the guys in the Apple iTunes store approve it), an iBooks edition for the iPad.
For a list of other books by Seth Godin (that's me), scroll down to near the bottom of this page. And if you have comments about the book, feel free to post them here, or even better, on twitter #stopstealingdreams or on Facebook or your own blog!
Some of the books I reference in Stop Stealing Dreams
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, 10th Anniversary Edition
Gatto is the godfather of the history-of-school-as-factory mindset. I'm in his debt, and I wish every parent would read this book.
Ken Robinson on Creativity and Passion
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
Another classic. Be sure to see Sir Ken's video, just below.
Sir Ken on Creativity and schools
If I could have every administrator, teacher and parent read just one of my books...
Feel free to chime in with your comments
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richarddixon66 May 23, 2013 @ 7:37 am | deleteHave emailed a link to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education in the UK in the vain hope that the inspirational thinking contained here wakes him up from his current thinking.
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Yes, school definitely kills creativity. I have been trying to resusitate my creativity back for twenty years ! -
The dedication in that book is wonderful! I can't wait to read it and improve education! :) -
Really great blog !! Beautiful, Superb. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds in addition. I am glad to locate a bunch of helpful details right listed here within the article. Many thanks for sharing. -
School is our learning foundation at early. We supposed to learn here the basic right attitudes that we need to apply in our daily lives. This is the crucial stage for us to start developing our self confidence in any situation that we encounter. -
I am greatly looking forward to seeing what you have to say about the school system in stop stealing dreams. It is clear that schools are broken, but if I know anything about your work, I expect some very novel and insightful thoughts. Thank you for making it available. -
I'm excited about this book. We home schooled both our children through high school and they have thrived. Both are creative and imaginative and hardworking. Yes, I'm proud. But it is true. I do think an overhaul is need greatly. Thanks for starting the discussion in a new arena. -
Linchpin is the book, which, if read by all of those who are creating the core curriculums of our private and public education system, will disrupt the current accepted normality that we should learn from adolescence to obey orders. It will make you wish that your early educators focused on cultivating your creativity instead of asking you to repeat what was vocally expressed to you a week prior by choosing the right answer between A., B., C., D., or E. -
I bought my first Seth Godin book about 8 years ago. It was "The purple cow" it was great. Thank you for writing such an amazing content. -
Stifling dreams and creativity as equally as bad as an educational system that does not advance children on their own merits -
This is one of the best manifesto's, on anything, I've ever read. -
The schooling system needs to change for the better if we want a bright future for the human race. -
I love this book. I have one Seth Godin book in every bathroom. :p -
It's encouraging that this message is getting out to more and more people. School (as it exists) does not equal education. In fact it is its antithesis, really. As I work in coffee shops developing an on line alternative learning and coaching program for teens (www.pacificsandsacademy.com), I hear people all around me talking about their negative school experiences. Soon, we will realize that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes!
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Facing the part of persisting in the face of disapproving authorities! Thanks for reminding me that the cookie cutter takes off what evolves us. - Load More
Do It Yourself
DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education
Anya takes us on a whirlwind tour of some alternatives.
Colleges that Matter
Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges
Please don't send your kid to college until you read this.
Upside down?
Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back on Track (paperback)
A provocative look at re-imagining education
Thinking Fast (and slow)
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Already a bestseller, it provides scientific evidence to underpin so many of the assertions of the school should be better movement.
Possiblity
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
Ben and Roz Zander on one buttock playing, teaching and mattering. Buy this book. It's that good.
On willpower
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It
If we teach willpower, so many other things follow...
What's your take?
Should we reexamine what school is for?
Yes, we need to start making artists, not low-wage automatons
carol_2 says:
We homeschool to give our kids the freedom the learn at their speed (so far they have graduated at 18 and 17 years of age), to give them one-on-one teaching, and many other reasons. They all loved being homeschooled, and have had absolutely no problem fitting in at college and in the world.
wyattfairlead says:
I am not sure about artists, but we definitely need to reexamine the school system. What we need is schools to actually start turning out innovators. We need people to start thinking again. People no longer think and that is to societies detriment.
bjj_james says:
Creativity vs. Obedience, I choose and open minded approach.
jan-kinahan says:
The status quo no longer is sufficient!
jan-kinahan says:
Today and tomorrow, in a nutshell! (In education, the past is largely inapplicable! Read on!)
coolaunt says:
Not only it's purpose but the outcome it truly delivers. Are we truly offering the skills that children will need to be functional and productive in the world on it's current course?
alphastim2 says:
Yes but I am not claiming we need to make more artists. Lol.
The manifesto consists of a lot of whining about schools. There is next to ZERO about what Seth thinks schools should actually look like. Kids have to be someplace during the day as parents are working. And if you have 25+ kids in a classroom there is only so much freedom and exploration that can be permitted. Homeschooling is the best way to achieve what Seth is suggesting and yet he dismissed it! Hilarious contradiction! If you are going to whine on for hundreds of pages please talk with someone who knows something about schools and have them put into words some actual suggestions on what your ideal school would look like and how it would run.
VitalRogue says:
No, we just need to take the devil (bureaucrats) out of the detail ...
let teachers teach, students love to learn, and ...
Reinforce habits of "critical" thinking - both analytic and synthetic.
Stop trying to force a singular point-of-view
(compartmentalization and analysis of a "theme") and
instead develop the capacity to approach the same things from a number of points of view
- successfully - at once (design and integration).
Your "techies" and your "artists" will emerge naturally out of any group committed to "getting at it" - and you'll also find that last years techies are this year's artists, next year's artists this year's techies, and it will be a source of never ending fascination to watch who and which "types" are leading the "way."
Teach "classical" liberal arts ALSO - not instead of, but rounding out both professional and technical learning. Understand the relationships between past/present/future (myth) and good/true/beautiful (life).
Re-instill the dignity of the student through the learning and mastery of ALL varieties of subject matter -
only teachers can do that,
and only one-on-one,
and only with flexibility and latitude to adjust to the learning "style" of the individual student,
and allowing the student to adjust/adapt his/her "unique" learning capacities to the subject matter at hand.
So, clearly, I'm incapable of "taking a side" of this one. The assumptions embedded in the query are "essentially" flawed, possessing no vital tension.
markcollard says:
Yes, Yes, Yes. Being a good teacher is an art. So why then do we put up with an education 'system' (first clue there's a problem) that requires obedience. The two don't mix.
david-bernstein-395 says:
of course. Our current system/curriculum is set up to serve a monoculuture that no longer exists. Critics of a new educational approach often suggest that replacing the monoculture means unfettered choice and chaos. But there alternative to the monoculture is far more choice and customization and an expanded understanding of human capabilities, not anything goes.
No, we need more rigor and obedience and better test scores
dpgibble says:
We can't skip the preliminaries. Once I start reading reviews and opinions from toddlers and 6-year-olds on this site, I will accept the possibility that I'm wrong. The Information Age requires impossibly high levels of technical education to expand. Almost no culture has solved the moral conundrum created by the demand for "more." Japan came close and now they face extinction. External systems of discipline make warfare more lethal and classrooms more predictable. But the best special ops soldiers, industrialists, scholars and artists have first mastered themselves. Hence the real purpose of schools.
BarbaraFrank says:
We certainly need tor reexamine school. But we also need to allow parents to choose how their children should be educated. Not all parents will choose to homeschool their children to adulthood like I did, but they should have the option by being able to direct the property tax dollars they pay to the public schools toward any educational option they wish.
BFuniv.com says:
As long as we start school at ten years old, end it at twelve, and this curriculum is a free choice for those considering going into engineering, science, or foreign military service.
Deborah Kenny and the Harlem Village Academy
Born to Rise: A Story of Children and Teachers Reaching Their Highest Potential
Deborah's autobiography, out in June. A personal story of how she came to make such an impact.
A teacher who mattered
Most of us have had at least one, some have been lucky to have had many. If there's a teacher who made a difference to you or your kids, give them a shoutout here.
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The most helpful assignment I ever got in school involved a list of questions and a day in the library to answer them. It taught me a lot about how to research and find information. This lens was an interesting read and certainly makes a lot of very valid points. I am a big fan of the book, "The Willpower Instinct". -
Yes! I had one such teacher in my life :) -
Absolutely loved this video. We need a faster growing awareness of the fact that education sucks. Thankfully, education is already being transformed thanks to initiatives such as the Khan Academy and others. -
I am not sure if this is correct. I read Robert Kiyosaki's book.Rockefeller built and support school system because he needed workers to work for him rather than build a wealth empire.
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DWW is awesome. Teaches what he loves, and is oh so funny while doing it. -
Sorry, I didn't have one teacher that I can recall exciting me about learning or anything else. -
Mr. Grogg! You'll never see this but I will give you a shoutout anyways :) -
To many to name. It was their kindness and not really what they taught that made them wonderful. -
Very Interesting Information! Thank You For This lens!
Online Tutoring -
Mr. Douglas A. Avery. He took the time to test my vocal range in such a way that I wasn't nervous-this is important because you sing differently when nervous. Showed me the proper way to breathe. Turns out at the time, I had a four octave range. I can't read music other than as a roadmap. I would memorize each song fully and be totally off the page so i could watch his conducting, and simply do what I was instructed to do. My First NYSSMA solo was "I Know My Redeemer Liveth" -I got an A+. I lived for music back then. It really added much joy to my life. I don't think he'll ever know how important his work was to my quality of life. My parents had just finished a 2yr battle in the courts while my brother and I were in a Foster home. Seneca Falls was the closest thing to a hometown I Ever had. I got there in the middle of 8th grade.All my music teachers were life savers but he had such a passion for it, it was infectious.
- Load More
My teaching experience
I got my first gig as a teacher up in Canada at the age of 16, teaching style canoeing to hundreds of kids every summer. In college, I was the youngest computer science TA the department had ever had, and did it for three years as I developed and taught a lecture series to classes as big as a hundred.I was an adjunct professor at Mercy College, developed and taught a course on desktop publishing for the Learning Annex (which they 'shared' without asking me and used nationwide). I've taught science lectures on a volunteer basis in public elementary schools and was a popular professor the year I taught at the NYU Stern School of Business.
I founded the SAMBA alternate MBA program which I hosted in my office daily for six months, and have run a series of events and seminars and free programs around the world over the least twenty years.
I have no idea what it's like to teach full-time in an underserved education-industrial-complex high school in which the teachers are in a pitched battle with a testing-oriented system that wants nothing but to force them to act like automatons. My guess is that it's unspeakably horrible, which is why I wrote this manifesto.
Interview questions!
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-like Riddles, Insanely Difficult Puzzles, and Other Devious Interviewing Techniques You ... Know to Get a Job Anywhere in the New Economy
Taken with a grain of salt, Poundstone talks about the ups (and downs) of a different sort of post-industrial job interview.
Other books by Seth Godin
More free stuff from Seth
- An overview of my work
- This is a great place to start if you're new to my books and work.
- Posts about my recent experiments in book publishing
- The Domino Project published a dozen bestsellers in a row. This blog chronicles what we did and what we learned.
- The original blog, updated daily
- Since 2000 (or something like that)
David Weinberger's breakthrough
Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room
A rare classic, something that will turn your view of the world upside down.
Following #StopStealingDreams on Twitter
How to get any PDF document onto your Kindle
Just click the picture to see the article. It's pretty easy... you email it to a special address.
You'll also note that the ebook has been published in mobi format. All you have to do is download it to your hard drive, plug your Kindle in via the USB cable and drag the file from your hard drive to the Documents folder on your Kindle.
Sideloading to the Nook
You can also browse the file via the web. Click the picture for details on sideloading.
You'll also note that the ebook has been published in epub format. All you have to do is download it to your hard drive, plug your Nook in via the USB cable and drag the file from your hard drive to the right folder on your Nook.
A quick mind map
Thanks to Lynne Cazaly in Australia...
Feel free to post a translation
If you share a link here, along with the language, I'll do my best to post a list of translated editions. Just click "add to this list" below.
Have you blogged or posted the file or a review of the manifesto?
