“World and action are intimately interdependent. But action is human only when it is not merely an occupation but also a preoccupation, that is, when it is not dichotomized from reflection” (Freire 53).
In our classrooms, knowledge is constructed by students and teachers, ideas become experiments, and skills are fine-tuned for use in the world. Perhaps the classroom is also where student action-experiences are conceived of, reflected upon, and supported . . . where community is built, and students learn confidence. Our hope as professional educators is that what we do in our classes is eventually internalized and lived by students out in the larger world – as they learn to become reflective agents for positive transformation. Recently, I visited a new teacher during a class where the central focus was exploring and defining terms: holiness, virtue, perfection. Students engaged with one another through reflection, handouts, a video clip, conversations, and teacher and student examples from life outside the classroom. What especially caught my attention was reflection and action near the end of class, when the teacher challenged students to connect the discussion by recalling specific action-oriented personal goals they had set for themselves earlier in the semester. At first, students looked puzzled, but when the teacher continued, they paged through class notes, looked in subject folders, and finally found their personal growth goals. The teacher continued, “Today, I’d like us all to reflect on the personal goals we set earlier in the semester and recommit to them by sharing these goals with one another, whereby encouraging each other to be accountable to what we wrote and work toward achieving our goals.” There was silence. And I could sense there was hesitation among students, when the teacher continued, “My goal, as I have stated earlier in the semester when I made it, is to lose some weight. Clearly, my first year of teaching has not been kind to my waist! Over the past 7 months I have gained weight by eating a lot of food that is not all that healthy for me. And today I find that I am not happy with my physical weight. So, my goal is to lose some weight by eating more healthy foods and exercising more. I’d love it if you all kept me accountable.” The authenticity and honesty with which the teacher shared his own personal goal with the class modeled a way of proceeding for students. His example gave students permission to share whereby, “The students – no longer docile listeners – are now critical co-investors in dialogue with the teacher” (Freire 81). One student shared she wanted to be more patient with his parents. One shared she wanted to be more respectful toward her little brother. One student shared he wanted to be a better team player on the school’s baseball squad. And one wanted to be more present for a struggling friend. Every student shared during class and each share was overwhelmingly affirmed by the teacher – no exceptions:
Each affirmation from the teacher, who was carefully facilitating this conversation, encouraged students to share and support one another. There were smiles all around. And the feel of this class was almost retreat-like. Leaving class, I was conscious of three simple take-aways:
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2000.
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Pete MussoAssistant Principal, Curriculum & Instruction Archives
May 2022
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