Recognizing Oppression

In class, we discussed what Freire meant in the first chapter of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed."  One aspect of the reading that was discussed was the lack of solidarity among those who are oppressed. Freire wrote, "...the oppressed are reluctant to resist, and totally lack confidence in themselves"(64.).

Asia stated that she was being harassed by a supervisor, yet no co-workers would come to her aid. She felt alone in a circumstance that she is not in control of and only hopes that the union rep can help. Thankfully the site is union because she cannot be fired for any petty reason. However, management's intent of making her quit or go on family leave early because she is pregnant is appalling.

I certainly have had a similar experience. I worked at Mystic Lake Casino for 7 years and was fired for being a political blogger. Of course, I was never told that this was explicitly why, nor ever in writing. At the time, without naming my employer, I had described in a blog a current "no talking" policy whereby employees could not speak to each other while at work. The draconian rule created the most hostile work environment I have ever endured, because it applied only in circumstances where supervisors chose to enforce it.

When I was fired, I received no assistance from co-workers when I sought to appeal it. However, this was in the first few months of what would be the recession in 2008. Therefore, only co-workers who were also fired within the first week offered to assist me, of which there were several.

What is ironic about this situation is that my employer was the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux  Community, a Native tribe living in dire poverty only a few decades ago. Yet, Freire also mentions the possibility of this circumstance when stating, "...the oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend to become oppressors, or 'sub-oppressors'"(45.). Essentially, our society has systemic issues that cannot be resolved simply by alternating the chairs of power. Instead of remaining disempowered by oppressors, Freire recommends that the oppressed use praxis to attain liberation, which is defined as,  "...reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it."(51.). 

After our discussion, we made human statues to represent something we took from the reading. The photo above is our group, where we decided to show horizontal violence or the oppressed vs. the oppressed. Above us were the oppressors who were using us like puppets, because it is in their interest that we use our anger, disillusionment, and frustration on each other rather than turn it on our oppressors. Freire had a great deal more to say about this situation, so I won't dwell on this topic.  However, I agree with him that we should find ways to redirect our actions against our oppressors at their points of greatest vulnerability.

In the feminist work group, we discussed what our project could be. What gained the most support was starting an after school program that could empower girls. We have not discussed in great detail what the curriculum will be. However, we feel there are enough members to be able to sustain the project a few times a week after school. This will likely evolve as we have more discussions in and outside of class. In the mean time, I ponder the many issues that women face in our society.

This last summer I found it ironic that Megyn Kelly of Fox News defended the Family Medical Leave Act. She even states that it is weak in that most of its benefits are unpaid. So, Asia has to endure not only a harsh work environment during her pregnancy but little or no income after. This is an injustice to families that need not be, yet it persists. I believe this is because our politicians have sold out to the oppressors. As a society, we really do have a lot more to work on.

Feminism and Freire

I have not finished my reading of "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed," however I am feeling that everything in our class up to now has been leading up to this reading. Nearly every article and excerpt we have read has referenced Freire's philosophy on education. Obviously a core belief is that education should empower those who are oppressed in society, rather than continuing to perpetuate the very same inequities.

Our class did read the first two chapters of "The Art of Critical Pedagogy." In our introductions we each mentioned a piece we thought was the most powerful or what we had questions about. Many mentioned the statement that "Urban schools are not broken; they are doing exactly what they are designed to do"(1.). This is a pretty disturbing fact when it is so obvious that too few students are prepared for college and the work environment after high school.

The purpose that for this arrangement is stated to be our societal belief that there must be failures if there are successes. The second stated reason for this are class differences, enabling some students to be better prepared for school while others must struggle to try to keep up. Some students parents have time and resources to assist them, while others do not. Further, those with resources, to include social connections, are better able to maneuver to higher academic planes and access higher paying employment options afterward.

The author references Freire in that the goal should be "towards liberation from oppression..." in employing the five steps of the cycle of critical praxis within a classroom environment. The first step being to identify a problem. This is what we did in class with our issue discussion, in what was aptly called "issue speed-dating."

We each spoke to each other one-on-one for a couple minutes about an issue we were passionate about. My issue was our societal addiction to fossil fuels, specifically oil. This was acknowledged by my peers as a legitimate societal problem but they were focused on other important issues. For instance, the group I joined was the feminist group. Another group that was formed was the GLBT Bullying group.

The second step our groups must take is to research the problem. We have not delved into this yet, as we have not decided what we will specifically do. However, I can try to think about current events and my surroundings through a feminist lens.

One thing that I thought about after leaving class was how the GLBT Bullying group could change its name to the LGBT Bullying group. There is a lot of discussion about how acronyms should be ordered and its significance. So, when I caucus with my fellow feminist group, we can decide whether to approach their group with this. I think it would be win-win for both groups. Then we can move onto other issues that need addressing.

Engaged Pedagogy and Rule Making

We discussed the Teaching to Transgress in class and what it means to have an engaged pedagogy based on the text. We listed all the various forms it can take and not take. For instance, it involves the teacher as a healer but not a psychologist or counselor. The goal is to have a teacher actively recognize each person's own life struggles We listed that a teacher would have to be understanding and able to relate to their students. This also involves showing your weaknesses as a teacher as well and your shortcomings, like if you do not know something or have made mistakes in your own past.

What I find about this idea is how dangerous it can be if the instructor is not thoughtful about the way in which they manage themselves. They must know their own strengths and weaknesses. They must have the right attitude and orientation before entering the classroom. When those conditions are lacking or reduced then there is potential for problematic consequences. However, acknowledging that you have a problem can actually help students emphasize with your situation. Students always know that something is awry with adults, even if they choose not to share them.

One classroom story that exemplifies this is when President George W. Bush was in a Florida classroom on 9-11. The students were reading him a story and knew something was on his mind. One student thought he looked like he had to go to the bathroom. When a Secret Service agent whispered something in his ear, they all knew it was something awful by the way in which he reacted. The former President felt that he was showing resolve by not giving an immediate response or leaving the class, yet the students all knew something was terribly wrong.

What this story tells is that even someone with charisma to convince the nation and Supreme Court that he should be President of the most powerful nation on the planet can't hide his own emotions. Even the most skilled teachers will have a difficult time lying about their internal emotions to their students. These students will know what is going on, so why not share with them in an appropriate way what might affect things in your class?

Rule Making

What I also appreciated in class was our discussion about what we expected of each other. In essence, we were creating the standards by which we would abide by. We spent about half of our class period discussing them. Often we would reduce the amount of standards by combining them with larger, vaguer concepts. This led to a few disagreements and some conciliatory resolutions.

We then discussed what the role of conflict would be in the classroom. Rather than seeing conflict as something to avoid at all costs, we can choose to resolve it and learn at the same time. We didn't delve into a longer lesson about navigating conflict  but it was a lesson nonetheless. There are various different models of conflict resolution and you could say that our instructor believes in a shared power model. Therefore, we students will have a greater share of say in how to resolve our differences than is typical. 

In a future post(s), I will return to our classroom rules and assess how the class environment fared with them. I suspect that things will go smoothly but that personality and value differences may bring up unforeseen issues. Time will tell how effectively we go about resolving them. 

Teaching to Transgress

We started reading Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks this week.  The author really wants us to consider teaching to be much more exciting, especially if we can take it beyond its limiting boundaries. Obviously, many people do consider teaching to be boring. My partner is an educator also but would prefer to write instead. Alas, teaching is what will bring in money until she publishes a best seller!

However, I intend to be an educator. My own belief is that not only education is important, but how we apply it is also. Do we really question as much that goes on in the world? How much do we really analyze and later return to?

This is what hooks write about with regards to engaged pedagogy. Do we simply memorize facts and figures, or do we weave knowledge into our lives? Do we enable our students to use the information to see fewer limitations in their lives? These are some things that hooks wants teachers to be able to do.

What I found invaluable is the insight given with regards to attending public schools before and after desegregation. When she was in a segregated school, African American teachers taught her differently than the white teacher in the desegregated schools. She was expected to submit to authority while simultaneously was devalued in her abilities by white instructors. This experience really shaped how she perceived the purpose of schools and how they could and should be for all students.

I really enjoyed much of what she had to say to include this: "I learned that far from being self-actualized, the university was seen more as a haven for those who are smart in book knowledge but who might be otherwise unfit for social interaction"(16.). She goes on to say that there is a sharp differentiation in the lives of educators, that they are solely to be unbiased disseminators of information in the classroom and not speak of their lives outside it.

To me, this seems quite typical, as no instructor wants to be labeled biased. However, I do not know of any instructors who I did not find a bias. Whether they choose to let me know where they stand on something, I listen for cues in their reactions and the words that they use. Some instructors have surprised me because they can and do grade students on their politics and background more than they would like to admit. It seems a lot like journalists, who claim to be unbiased but we all know that they are.

Further, we do see teachers outside of the classroom. They do exist in the real world, which does surprise students. I have had some college instructors warn us ahead of time that yes, we may run into them around town to include the natural food co-ops. I think instructors should be a bit social, though none absolutely have to be extroverts - though this helps.

"Certainly it was naive for me to imagine during high school that I would find spiritual and intellectual guidance in university settings from writers, thinkers, scholars... More than anything they seemed enthralled by the exercise of power and authority within their mini-kingdom, the classroom"(17.). As she says, there certainly is a lot of power a teacher has over the classroom setting. However, students should be able to find the space to sort out what questions they have about what they are learning and how to apply it to their lives. I did say this above, but I believe this is also what she is saying here. Educators can't be guidance counselors or social workers, but they can do more with what they are teaching and how than what is currently done widely.