I TEACH
Without pity
Free of judgement
Out of love
To be the example for my unborn child.
To meet every need with dignity.
To be for 1 what so many were for me.
To serve
my community
a higher power
And leave this world better than how I found it.
Because Humanity is suffering
and I can think of no greater influence on the next generation of leaders
No greater obligation than this
No greater power than this.
Because it is the ultimate expression of freedom.
Pedagogy of Empowerment:
Education as the Practice of Freedom
Inspired to Learn, Empowered Agent of Change
In South Central Los Angeles, a biracial girl struggled to belong and failed to understand her place in the world. Her motivation to excel in school was limited by the inability to love herself and the rejection she faced from peers and community members. She was too light, too mixed, not black enough, too black for some, too smart, too fat, a nerd, not athletic enough, she couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance; she was just too awkward. When she was unable to find solace at home, the young girl turned to books, which could not shun her away. Luckily, she had teachers – mentors - who encouraged her to express herself and read until there were no pages left to turn. Though her community was riddled with violence, drugs, poverty, and teenage pregnancy, she dreamed of more.
Her life beyond of the confines of South Central began with the words of Langston Hughes: “What happens to a dream deferred?” She wondered. Following the notes of his rhythmic blues, she searched for an answer, page after page, book after book. She came across Nikki Giovanni who told her, “They never understand, black love is black wealth.” Audre Lorde added, “It is better to speak knowing we were never meant to survive.” Then Gil Scott-Heron reminded her, “The revolution will not be televised.” Poetry and the Black Arts Movement had opened up a door that lead straight to a wealth of history, triumph, strength, and liberation. An insatiable thirst for knowledge took over.
Dr. Angelou whispered in her ear, “Still I rise”, and this young girl was empowered to keep reading, keep discovering. On her way to realizing her place in the world, she would continue to seek knowledge– of self and society - as fuel for strength, understanding that knowledge for the mere sake of it is worthless. Knowledge of the past should be harnessed to inspire and effect change. She revisited Hughes’ question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” It waits to be awoken, she thought.
Pedagogical Foundations: Education as Freedom
The act of learning is to engage in meaningful dialogue, a social exchange that begins with words. These words, then, have the power grow into activism. Paulo Freire (1970), author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, wrote that education, dialogue, and the freedom to create meaning are a birth right to all of humanity. Dialogue is a necessity, which gives human kind a higher purpose in life. Freire (1970) argues that the act of creating meaning can ultimately liberate humanity, so long as love, humility, and faith in the human race exist. Love is needed to practice any act of liberation or freedom. There is no room for arrogance, only humility and if dialogue is to be meaningful, one must have faith in man’s ability to re-create the world.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Freire, 1970) also asserts trust, hope, and critical thinking as essential elements of meaningful dialogue. Trust enhances humanity’s ability to collaborate in affecting change. Without hope, there is no point in attempting to create change. Lastly, action cannot be separated from thought. In other words, critical thinking is imperative. Freire offers an existential perspective on education which continues to serve as a moral compass for both educators and students.
Freedom is Not Enough
Freedom and liberation, alone, as ideologies will not help students reach empowerment nor will these ideas transform students into agents of change. Traditionally, students of color have struggled to overcome a widening achievement gap. Some reasons attributed to this gap are socio-economic status, history of racial oppression, low self-esteem, and lack of utility in school (Cokley, 2008; Ford & Harris, 1992; Rodgers, 2008). Previous studies have found that students of color benefit from improved academic self-concepts (Cokley, 2000; Lent, Brown, & Gore, 1997), positive racial identity development (Carter, 2008; Rodgers, 2008), and culturally responsive environments (Gay 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1992). In brief, students of color experience a boost in self-esteem and intrinsic motivation when they are allowed to develop strong racial identities and are surrounded by culturally responsive materials.
Racial identity development is characterized by connectedness (to one’s racial group), awareness (stereotypes and historical discrimination), and achievement as a person of color (Carter, 2008; Rodgers, 2008). In essence, it is the degree to which race becomes a part of a student’s academic self-concept. Strong, positive racial identities transform into heightened racial consciousness and, ultimately, students are able to view education as a tool towards empowerment and positive social change.
To aid students in the development of their racial identities, educators must employ culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2000). Culturally responsive environments are always validating, comprehensive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, and emancipatory. Culturally responsive instruction is affirming of students’ worth, bridging together their lived experiences and cultures with the dialogue that takes place within the classroom, which translates into academic confidence and motivation. Culturally responsive pedagogy ahs the power to release, “…the intellect of students of color from the constraining manacles of mainstream canonic of knowledge and the ways of knowing”, (Gay, 2000) helping students realize there is no single version of the truth; knowledge is never total or permanent and should never exist without dissent. As with racial identity development, collaboration and connectedness are central to effectiveness of culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom.
In an Ideal World
The ideal classroom is a place where all students’ needs are met with care and dignity. Where students are given the opportunity to learn from and teach one another; where the teachers is merely a facilitator of learning. In an ideal classroom, no child is left behind nor judged solely by standardized, high-stakes exams; data is used as an informative tool and is never more important than the child. In an ideal classroom, students are aware of their differences and never feel shame. Students learn to accept their differences and celebrate them. In an ideal classroom, students are empowered to make decisions and take charge of their education. Academic success then becomes a byproduct of liberated students setting goals, reaching those goals, and using what they’ve learned to better their community.
Ideal, however, is rarely the case. In hopes of one day achieving “ideal”, educators have a moral obligation to empower students and create democratic learning environments. Learning is a process of empowerment and liberation wherein one’s consciousness and morality is awoken. Empowered students, with strong, positive racial identities, are critical thinkers with high academic self-concepts. These students have the ability to affect change within their community and society. A teacher’s role is to mediate a student’s path towards empowerment and liberation, while the classroom serves as a safe haven for students to exchange ideas freely and learn from one another. Essentially, classrooms are democracies where everyone’s’ input is valued. Bottom line: educators serve students and the communities in which they work. Teachers are facilitators of freedom and - in all of history - liberation has never been won by perpetuating the status quo, but through revolution. In the words of Robert Frost, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”
References
Asante, M. K. (1992). Afrocentric curriculum. Educational leadership, 49(4), 28-31.
Benson, J. E. (1986). Black children: their roots, culture, and learning styles (Rev. ed.). Baltimore: John Hopkins.
Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: the journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Carter, D. (2008). Cultivating a critical race consciousness for African American school success. Educational Foundations, 22(2), 11-28.
Cokley, K. (2000). An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 26, 148-164.
Cokley, K. (2008). What do we know about the motivation of African American student? Challenging the anti-intellectual myth. Harvard Educational Review, 73(4), 524-557.
Delpit, L. D., & Dowdy, J. K. (2002). The skin that we speak: thoughts on language and culture in the classroom. New York: New Press.
Delpit, L. D. (2006). Other people's children: cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press :.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hare, N., & Hare, J. (1991). The Hare Plan to overhaul the public schools and educate every Black man, woman, and child. San Francisco, Calif.: The Black Think Tank.
Hill, M. L. (2009). Beats, rhymes, and classroom life: hip-hop pedagogy and the politics of identity. New York: Teachers College Press.
Kunjufu, J. (2002). Black students-Middle class teachers. Chicago, Ill.: African American Images.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1992). Reading between the lines and beyond the pages: a culturally relevant approach to literacy teaching. Theory Into Practice, 31(4), 312-320.
Rodgers, K. (2008). Racial identity, centrality, and giftedness: an expectancy-value application of motivation in gifted African American students. Roeper Review, 30, 111-120.
McAdoo, H. P. (2002). Black children: social, educational, and parental environments (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
In South Central Los Angeles, a biracial girl struggled to belong and failed to understand her place in the world. Her motivation to excel in school was limited by the inability to love herself and the rejection she faced from peers and community members. She was too light, too mixed, not black enough, too black for some, too smart, too fat, a nerd, not athletic enough, she couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance; she was just too awkward. When she was unable to find solace at home, the young girl turned to books, which could not shun her away. Luckily, she had teachers – mentors - who encouraged her to express herself and read until there were no pages left to turn. Though her community was riddled with violence, drugs, poverty, and teenage pregnancy, she dreamed of more.
Her life beyond of the confines of South Central began with the words of Langston Hughes: “What happens to a dream deferred?” She wondered. Following the notes of his rhythmic blues, she searched for an answer, page after page, book after book. She came across Nikki Giovanni who told her, “They never understand, black love is black wealth.” Audre Lorde added, “It is better to speak knowing we were never meant to survive.” Then Gil Scott-Heron reminded her, “The revolution will not be televised.” Poetry and the Black Arts Movement had opened up a door that lead straight to a wealth of history, triumph, strength, and liberation. An insatiable thirst for knowledge took over.
Dr. Angelou whispered in her ear, “Still I rise”, and this young girl was empowered to keep reading, keep discovering. On her way to realizing her place in the world, she would continue to seek knowledge– of self and society - as fuel for strength, understanding that knowledge for the mere sake of it is worthless. Knowledge of the past should be harnessed to inspire and effect change. She revisited Hughes’ question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” It waits to be awoken, she thought.
Pedagogical Foundations: Education as Freedom
The act of learning is to engage in meaningful dialogue, a social exchange that begins with words. These words, then, have the power grow into activism. Paulo Freire (1970), author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, wrote that education, dialogue, and the freedom to create meaning are a birth right to all of humanity. Dialogue is a necessity, which gives human kind a higher purpose in life. Freire (1970) argues that the act of creating meaning can ultimately liberate humanity, so long as love, humility, and faith in the human race exist. Love is needed to practice any act of liberation or freedom. There is no room for arrogance, only humility and if dialogue is to be meaningful, one must have faith in man’s ability to re-create the world.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Freire, 1970) also asserts trust, hope, and critical thinking as essential elements of meaningful dialogue. Trust enhances humanity’s ability to collaborate in affecting change. Without hope, there is no point in attempting to create change. Lastly, action cannot be separated from thought. In other words, critical thinking is imperative. Freire offers an existential perspective on education which continues to serve as a moral compass for both educators and students.
Freedom is Not Enough
Freedom and liberation, alone, as ideologies will not help students reach empowerment nor will these ideas transform students into agents of change. Traditionally, students of color have struggled to overcome a widening achievement gap. Some reasons attributed to this gap are socio-economic status, history of racial oppression, low self-esteem, and lack of utility in school (Cokley, 2008; Ford & Harris, 1992; Rodgers, 2008). Previous studies have found that students of color benefit from improved academic self-concepts (Cokley, 2000; Lent, Brown, & Gore, 1997), positive racial identity development (Carter, 2008; Rodgers, 2008), and culturally responsive environments (Gay 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1992). In brief, students of color experience a boost in self-esteem and intrinsic motivation when they are allowed to develop strong racial identities and are surrounded by culturally responsive materials.
Racial identity development is characterized by connectedness (to one’s racial group), awareness (stereotypes and historical discrimination), and achievement as a person of color (Carter, 2008; Rodgers, 2008). In essence, it is the degree to which race becomes a part of a student’s academic self-concept. Strong, positive racial identities transform into heightened racial consciousness and, ultimately, students are able to view education as a tool towards empowerment and positive social change.
To aid students in the development of their racial identities, educators must employ culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2000). Culturally responsive environments are always validating, comprehensive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, and emancipatory. Culturally responsive instruction is affirming of students’ worth, bridging together their lived experiences and cultures with the dialogue that takes place within the classroom, which translates into academic confidence and motivation. Culturally responsive pedagogy ahs the power to release, “…the intellect of students of color from the constraining manacles of mainstream canonic of knowledge and the ways of knowing”, (Gay, 2000) helping students realize there is no single version of the truth; knowledge is never total or permanent and should never exist without dissent. As with racial identity development, collaboration and connectedness are central to effectiveness of culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom.
In an Ideal World
The ideal classroom is a place where all students’ needs are met with care and dignity. Where students are given the opportunity to learn from and teach one another; where the teachers is merely a facilitator of learning. In an ideal classroom, no child is left behind nor judged solely by standardized, high-stakes exams; data is used as an informative tool and is never more important than the child. In an ideal classroom, students are aware of their differences and never feel shame. Students learn to accept their differences and celebrate them. In an ideal classroom, students are empowered to make decisions and take charge of their education. Academic success then becomes a byproduct of liberated students setting goals, reaching those goals, and using what they’ve learned to better their community.
Ideal, however, is rarely the case. In hopes of one day achieving “ideal”, educators have a moral obligation to empower students and create democratic learning environments. Learning is a process of empowerment and liberation wherein one’s consciousness and morality is awoken. Empowered students, with strong, positive racial identities, are critical thinkers with high academic self-concepts. These students have the ability to affect change within their community and society. A teacher’s role is to mediate a student’s path towards empowerment and liberation, while the classroom serves as a safe haven for students to exchange ideas freely and learn from one another. Essentially, classrooms are democracies where everyone’s’ input is valued. Bottom line: educators serve students and the communities in which they work. Teachers are facilitators of freedom and - in all of history - liberation has never been won by perpetuating the status quo, but through revolution. In the words of Robert Frost, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”
References
Asante, M. K. (1992). Afrocentric curriculum. Educational leadership, 49(4), 28-31.
Benson, J. E. (1986). Black children: their roots, culture, and learning styles (Rev. ed.). Baltimore: John Hopkins.
Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: the journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Carter, D. (2008). Cultivating a critical race consciousness for African American school success. Educational Foundations, 22(2), 11-28.
Cokley, K. (2000). An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 26, 148-164.
Cokley, K. (2008). What do we know about the motivation of African American student? Challenging the anti-intellectual myth. Harvard Educational Review, 73(4), 524-557.
Delpit, L. D., & Dowdy, J. K. (2002). The skin that we speak: thoughts on language and culture in the classroom. New York: New Press.
Delpit, L. D. (2006). Other people's children: cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press :.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hare, N., & Hare, J. (1991). The Hare Plan to overhaul the public schools and educate every Black man, woman, and child. San Francisco, Calif.: The Black Think Tank.
Hill, M. L. (2009). Beats, rhymes, and classroom life: hip-hop pedagogy and the politics of identity. New York: Teachers College Press.
Kunjufu, J. (2002). Black students-Middle class teachers. Chicago, Ill.: African American Images.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1992). Reading between the lines and beyond the pages: a culturally relevant approach to literacy teaching. Theory Into Practice, 31(4), 312-320.
Rodgers, K. (2008). Racial identity, centrality, and giftedness: an expectancy-value application of motivation in gifted African American students. Roeper Review, 30, 111-120.
McAdoo, H. P. (2002). Black children: social, educational, and parental environments (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.