Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Chapter 2

Reading one chapter of this book has really made me interested in the rest of the book! I really identify with what is being said. I have always been a miserable student precollege. I always did well enough in school, but I never exceeded at anything, and I didn’t want to. By the time I was in high school I felt that the school system was oppressive and overbearing. I disagreed with how I was being taught and I felt that if I ever really wanted to learn anything I had to do it on my own. Now as I study to become a teacher I disagree with a lot of what I am being taught and how I am expected to teach my students.

            Oppressing the youth of our nation into submission and conformity is not what we want. We want our future leaders to be free thinking outside the box kind of geniuses! But they damned well better do what we expect them to until they grow up right? It is an insane contradiction that seems pretty obvious from the outside, but how can I change it? How can I teach without dominating these young students under my will? One of my common nightmares is being in front of a class of English students who won’t stop talking and no one can hear my lesson.

            I feel that I have something valuable to offer as an educator. I feel like I can be a part of positive changes in the education system that can lead us to a more productive way to learn. I don’t know how exactly, but I am very willing to help change the profession I am going into. Unfortunately I do not feel that this is a valuable quality to an employer. I’m sure that principals would prefer a new teacher who is ready to fall in line with the philosophy already at work in their school. Investing in possibilities is gambling. So when do the odds feel favorable enough to gamble on? When do our students get the opportunity to prove to us that we do not need to control them? If we let our grip on the illusion of control slip just a bit, perhaps the students would amaze us by surpassing our previous expectations and taking hold of their own education with passion and excitement for knowledge.