Johnson sees the school experience as inculcating children of widely different backgrounds with a common set of myths, rituals, and values important to the continuity of our national culture. He describes how, in ordinary classroom life, the children are conditioned to look after themselves rather than others, to rank the worth of others by race and sex, to separate work and play, and to consume rather than produce ? lessons often different from the stated curriculum.

Originally published in 1985.

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