In the essay “Against schools” John Gatto states from experience as a school teacher that the current educational system is in error (148). He says classrooms are often filled with boredom produced by repetitive class work and half-hearted teaching. Students are not actively engaged and challenged by their work and more often than not they have already covered the concepts taught in class or simply do not understand what they are being taught. Children in classrooms have come to believe that their teachers are not all that knowledgeable about the subjects they teach and this increases their apathy towards education. Teachers also feel disadvantaged while carrying out their role as teachers because students often bring rude and negligent attitudes to the classroom. Teachers often want to modify established curricula for students in order to create a more effective lesson plan, but are limited by rigid rules and consequences that bind them to their required teachings (148-149). An active illustration of John Gatto's perspective on our educational system can be found in Mike Rose's essay “I Just Wanna Be Average” (157). In this piece of literature the author Mike Rose describes the type of education he received while following the teachings in his career path. During Mike's professional experiences, his teachers were inexperienced and poorly trained in the subjects they taught. As a result, the lesson plans and assignments prepared for the lesson were not designed to teach students anything practical effectively. For example, Mike Rose's English class plan for the entire semester consisted of repeatedly reading... half the paper... or thinking for himself. He believes that students will become more active and informed citizens if they are educated to think for themselves (155). The solutions proposed by Gatto can be found successfully applied in Mike Rose's essay. In his essay he describes the mediocre education he received during his professional career. Mike's future looked pretty bleak until he was mentored by Jack MacFarland. This man was a wise and enthusiastic teacher who challenged students academically. He encouraged and inspired students to read, to be proactive in their lessons, and to think for themselves. His lectures were engaging and the students were interested in his teachings (165-167). The fact that the same solutions proposed by Gatto in his essay have been successfully applied elsewhere demonstrates that teaching practices must and can change for the better.