Almost as if when a student gets a good grade he should thank his teacher for brainwashing him. “Let's free ourselves from all this nonsense about grades, exams, grades. We do not know now, and will never know, how to measure what another person knows or understands” (4). Not knowing how to measure what another person knows applies to all ages. Just because you don't understand the topic of a test doesn't mean you can't get anywhere in life. Exams are a terrible way to test your knowledge at any age. “Our compulsory school attendance laws once served a humane and useful purpose. They protected the right of children to some education,… Today the laws do not help anyone” (3). Holt explains that keeping kids in school who don't want to be there costs “an enormous amount of time and effort” (3). Even if the teacher is trying to teach the child something useful, the fact that he doesn't want to be there is a waste of time for both of you. It is difficult for the child to learn something in school that helps his growth. What's the point of going to school if you don't learn anything on your own and can't make decisions on your own? “Learn that in real life you don't do anything unless you are bribed, bullied, or tricked into doing it,” (2). In “School Is Bad for Children,” John Holt explains how school actually takes away most of the learning from children. From starting school at the age of four, and through the harsh grading system, plus being bombarded with rules the moment you enter school, nothing good can come of it. After reading this article, I realized how the American school system is manipulated