Preview

Teaching as an Act of Love

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1097 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Teaching as an Act of Love
Antonia Darder. Teaching as an Act of Love: Reflections on Paulo Freire and His Contributions to Our Lives and Our Work.

Summary: Antonia Darder presents a portrait of why Freire’s work as an educator was so influential in creating an understanding of education as an art. Teaching truly became an art when educators like Freire began to understand the importance of education in the movement of social change. The presence of love in the classroom, the type of love that is lively, forceful, challenging, and inspiring was the type of love that Darder thought was a lasting influence that Freire had on the field. She emphasized the conviction that Freire held in liberating students through education, he believed in the humanizing aspects of education. Freire believed that education was the tool for contributing to the human-ness of our political and economic existence as social beings. The article says that, “Freire exposed how even well-meaning teachers, through their lack of critical moral leadership, actually participate in disabling the heart, minds, and bodies of their students –an act that disconnects these students from the personal and social motivation required to transform their world and themselves” (498). The author argues that his greatest contribution to the field of education was his ability to be compassionate and his regard and concern for his students. The articles that we read this week discuss the concept of fear, but more importantly the ability to overcome and use the fear as a powerful force in the classroom. He said that it is the fear of freedom that affects the educator and creates a barrier in the classroom from the liberating practices that many educators believe are important. The way he describes the fear of freedom is the fear of being free from the status quo, the fear of the oppressed classes to realize a freedom from the oppressing classes. Freire thought that the experience of fear was a symbolic fight against the struggle that the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the chapter two of “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, written by Paulo Freire, it talks about the two education styles, “banking concept of education,” and “problem-posing education”. “Banking education” is “narrative education”, which means teacher teach and students taught. According to Freire, the contradiction between teachers and students is the core topic the chapter two. For example, “The teacher presents himself to his students as their necessary oppsite; by considering their ignorance absolute, he justifies his own existence” (72). Additionally, Freire crtisizes the traditional narrative education. He claims that the narrative education will stifle the creativity of students (71). After…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    A good education may be one of the most important things to which an individual can aspire. Even so, thoughts, ideas, and theories on education are not always agreed upon, even by experts in the educational field. Two such educators are Paulo Friere and William Brickman. This paper will look at the contributions of both men, their similarities and differences, as well as difficulties both encountered in their respective journeys.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I enjoyed the conclusion of Jacques d'Amboise's essay. He presents a metaphor which explains how dedicated he his to teaching. He compares a person to a trunk in the attic. It is up to you what you put in that trunk. If you pollute it, you are polluting the future of children. If you fill it with art, literature, poetry, and love: that is what you will end up with-children who are loving, and filled with culture.…

    • 374 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Nina Wallerstein and Ira Shor’s articles both provide wonderful summary and analysis of the concepts found in Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The articles include analysis and suggestions of classroom application for terms such as problem posing, liberation, and critical consciousness. Freire stresses the need for love and faith in teachers, he advocates for a learning system that encourages critical thinking, examination of the learning-process and society, instead of being a “delivery [system] for lifeless bodies of knowledge” (Shor, 25). Freirean classrooms would also “pose problems derived from student life, social issues and academic subjects it a mutually created dialogue.” (Shor, 25). Both Wallerstein and Shor suggest means…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    On page 18, chapter one the author states that she herself received teachings from Freire. She stated that she was “deeply moved by his presence, by the way in which his manner of teaching exemplified his pedagogical theory” (Hooks 18). This is not surprising due to the admiration the author had towards this man before she even met him. She went on to say that not everyone with teachings from Freire had a kindred positive experience. I thought this statement took away some of the power she had placed on the man. It made him seem more human, prone to mistakes, and probable to teach poorly if his pedagogical theories do not work. This devalues the ideology that the author has in her chapter based on his…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire tells about the educational theory which is sort of oppression towards the students. In his view, he finds that in order to create a liberal education; self-awareness and good thinking process are needed in improving the education system into a higher level.…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    letter to admin

    • 331 Words
    • 1 Page

    We are writing to you to advocate for the continuance of Miss. Degenhardt’s (Profe) teaching career at Darien High School. We write with the purpose to make you aware of Profe’s profound impact on the community and the growth of her students both in the context of academics and ethics; her notable qualities and dedication to her profession are of a role model. While Profe’s style of teaching is unorthodox at some points, this unorthodoxy provides students with a diverse and meaningful education in an otherwise, orthodox day. A quality that is central to Profe’s teaching and persona is her receptiveness to student opinion, which in our opinion should be a constant in all student-teacher relationships. For example, if a student feels that a decision in terms of either a grade or punishment she made was unjust, Profe is fully open to a one-on-one discussion, either during a mutual free or before or after school. Profe’s actions reject the notion of “my way or the highway” and epitomize the characteristic of open-mindedness: a quality that is crucial in our increasingly globally connected society. For a personal anecdote, during a student’s sophomore year he felt that he did not deserve grade X; therefore, he approached Profe and asked to meet with her before school. The student and Profe discussed the grade and while the grade remained unchanged, he had a better understanding as to why he received grade X and how he can avoid receiving grade X in the future. In another, unrelated circumstance, Profe organizes an annual in-class food drive to afford families in the Bronx a decent Thanksgiving meal, which reveals her altruism and devotion to paying it forward. Moments such as these are what define Profe’s impact and overall career to DHS and academia. As a community, we are here to support a teacher who has supported us. Thank you in advance for your time.…

    • 331 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ministry of teaching is the most essential tool in the reconstruction of society. Instructing one’s brothers and sisters isn’t simply a mandate given by the Ascending Resurrected Christ, but a divine obligation to those who are fortunate to receive the gift of education.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    society today everyone has the opportunity to experience some level of quality education irrespective of their class or race. Over the years education has become one of the greatest equalizer that has allowed individuals to achieve their goals and strive in whatever profession they desire. All this was made possible by individuals who have contributed to making education attainable to all. Two such proponent figures are Horace Mann and Paulo Freire. Even though Mann and Freire has contributed and had an impacted on issues relating to education significantly there are some attributes that both can be connected on and others that clearly sets them apart. The brief reading on their biography points to some struggles they had to endure while pursuing their respective educational goals. These attributes will set the tone in how they will view and make their contribution to education that they are both passionate and motivated by.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Convocation Address

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This convocation address has had a significant impact on my view of education. Most people agree that there is potentially something noble about teaching, yet Faludy proves it. I am reminded of film critic Roger Ebert's assessment of the film Life is Beautiful in which Ebert argues that since Jewish prisoner Guido is a clown, comedy becomes his weapon. Faludy was an educator. Education was his weapon. As it is for us…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Schools cannot be prisons. Students cannot be prisoners. They must have freedom to express ideas that develop who they are as people and as growing children. Modern day schools destroy a child’s ability to learn based on the person he is while respect still exists for both the student and teacher. Ralph Emerson explains this world in his essay “Education”. Although many educators have little respect for a student, Emerson argues that a teacher must respect the student and the student respect the teacher in order for the student to truly expand his knowledge.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Freire’s The Banking Concept of Education focuses not mainly on the purpose of the literate arts and education with the literate arts, but the fact that if it isn’t taught correctly, then it is useless. In detail he describes education as a dehumanizing action in today’s schools (323). He also challenges this concept with what he believes education should be as opposed to what it is. In his opinion, education should be a problem-posing way of teaching (327). Freire communicates that it should trigger a deeper, more critical way of thinking and a more prominent drive for inquisition in students’ learning strategies by saying “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (319). Rather than just reading to memorize, he expresses his belief that a student should be taught to challenge and elaborate on what they read. When I read Rodriguez’s The Achievement of Desire, I immediately saw a connection between his and Freire’s writing. Rodriquez writes about his personal educational experience. He refers to himself as “the scholarship boy”…

    • 1343 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Every teacher’s worst nightmare – that is the setting to which Madame (whatever you do don’t call her Mrs.) Esme Raji Codell stepped into as her first job fresh out of college. In this sink or swim world Esme, unknowingly, became a lifeguard to thirty youngsters, as she seemed the only one who could protect the children from the rough waters that are inner city Chicago. Through studying her very candid and personal diary, I am awe stricken by her extraordinary display of pedagogy as she exemplifies what it truly means to be a teacher. Esme’s proficiency in her dealings with situations surrounding equity, creating a safe, relaxed and positive classroom environment, expectations as a teacher, gender, diversity learning, multicultural competence and accommodation are, at times, straight out of a teacher’s workshop. Some might argue with her protocol, as she is both sharp-tongued and downright stubborn, but none can call to question her motive or incapacity for complacency.…

    • 2832 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Joint Education

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The realization of how powerful education is dawned upon me for the first time when I started teaching my domestic help’s son during my free time after high school. As empowering as it was, I took it as a responsibility to do my best to help him in his studies. His innocence and playfulness redefined childhood for me, as I myself became a child with him, enjoying the little pleasures of mentoring the kid. However,…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mission Statement

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Education is the one of the most important professions we have today. Lee Canter, an educational author and speaker, discussed his personal experience of a teacher that would not allow him to accept “F” as a grade (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). After listening, I realized that everyone has become who they are because of a teacher or a combination of teachers. We have the most important job because we not only teach students subjects like math, reading, science, etc. but we also have the job of preparing them to become respectable citizens and leaders.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays