Often I have thoughts that I would like to put forth to others to provoke conversation. My intent is that one day this blog will provide a forum for the like-minded and the different-minded--a medium through which the conversation can grow and thrive.
As an educator, much of my time, public and private, is consumed with thoughts concerning education. Literacy of the masses is most important to me. Influential in my education and philosophy are the works of Paulo Freire (1998); today, particularly, these words have echoed in my mind: "According to Freire: 'A humanizing education is the path through which men and women can become conscious about their presence in the world. The way they act and think when they develop all of their capacities, taking into consideration their needs, but also the needs and aspirations of others'" (Freire in Foreword by Macedo, D. & Freire, A. M. A., 1998, p. xiii). Freire's (1998) life was dedicated to the education and social justice.
Like Freire (1998), my quest is the education of young people so that they can continue the humanization of this world. Often in my AP Language classes, we discuss the statement "Knowledge is power." Knowledge arms us to disarm ignorance. My worries about education lie in the midst of the "regular education" students--the non-honors/AP students--who do not always value knowledge, who, consequently, mature into adults who do not have power to control their lives. The trillion dollar question--inflation--today is still the same: How do we motivate these students? How do we make them realize that they desperately need an education? (Yes, I know the quality of the education we are offering these students today is in question...that's a topic for another day.) My daily question as I face a class of 19 highly under-motivated students is "what can I say today to these students that will make a difference, that will ignite a flame of curiosity, a desire to learn and to know?"
With this particular class, I have to be on every minute. Anything more than five seconds of downtime takes the control out of my hands and puts it in theirs which certainly isn't, at this point in their young lives, a good thing. They tell me their aspirations--to be music producers, doctors, veterinarians, journalists, even teachers--but their work habits and GPAs are not reflective of their aspirations. Their behaviors and achievements indicate that they most likely will not pursue post-secondary educations. How do I turn this around for this group and others?
As Macedo (1998) indicates "Freire developed students' ability to be aware of their presence in the world" (p. xiii). I take comfort in knowing that Freire (1998) worked primarily with adult students who had come to realize that knowledge is power and that they lacked knowledge. They had a desire to quench their thirst--their ignorance,and in doing so, gain power/control over their own lives to a greater extent. My hope is that my students will realize as they mature that they do need an education in order to function more efficaciously in our world, a world in which even a bachelor's degree does not necessarily lead to the ideal job. I must continue to read Freire (1998) and to gain hope from his words of wisdom in order to keep on keeping on in the classroom each day--in order to continue to humanize our world one student at a time.
Freire, P. (1998). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare teach. Trans. Macedo, D., Koike, D., Oliveira, A. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Donaldo, M. & Freire, A.M.A. (1998) "Foreword." Freire, P. (1998). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare teach. Trans. Macedo, D., Koike, D., Oliveira, A. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
