Why do you think Gatto continued to teach for 31 years? What do you think he sees as his own role in public education?

Gatto acknowledges the problems of the education system and continued to teach in order to do his part to help mitigate the problem and to improve the lives of his students.  

His goals in continuing to be a part of the education system are clear in the second-to-last paragraph, where he advices the reader. Gatto says “Schools train children to be employees and consumers; teach them to be leaders and adventures. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach them to think critically and independently. Well –schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they’ll never be bored. Urge them to take serious material, the grown-up material, in history, literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, and theology – all the stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues.” All of these suggestions show the goals that Gatto strived to achieve in his 31 years as an educator.