Reading Response - Paulo Friere's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed'

While reading the first two chapters from Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I found myself trying to make connections from my own life to the attitudes and situations described in the text. I was attempting this sort of experiential reading of the text because it seemed to me (as it has in many readings for this class and others) that to approach the attitudes presented, and to fully understand what is being said, there needs to be some shared experience, some level of understanding. If one is to effectively inspire and cause change in the world, and in education systems in particular, it “must come… from the oppressed themselves and from those who are truly solidary with them” (p. 27).  I find it discouraging and difficult to define what impact I can have if I don’t perceive myself as being ‘oppressed’. The best I can offer, on Friere’s terms, is an attempt at solidarity with the hope that I don’t offer ‘false’ generosity in its place. 

In attempting to relate to Friere’s conception of the oppressed, I was able to draw a real life connection to the description on page 28 of the “rare peasant” who upon promotion to “overseer” remains in solidarity with the peasants who were once his “equals” but are now “below” him, purely by virtue of the system. This reminded me of working as a hostess at a restaurant and seeing a friend who was a server become a manager, as well as another friend who was a bartender become the bar manager. The two managers they were replacing were very different in their management styles, and it definitely showed when these two were promoted. The previous bar manager was respectful of everyone who worked under her and handled her position with grace. The restaurant manager was tyrannical and rude, nothing was ever good enough for her, and she constantly reminded her staff of their “lower” status. It was surprising to me, given that working under such an oppressive personality made my friend keenly aware of how that felt, that he was even worse as a manger than the woman he replaced, while my friend who became bar manager was an excellent manager. The reading got me thinking about the idea that we become our experience, and we are forced to become our own experience.

Friere goes on, however, to describe this false reality as the “fear of freedom” that must be fought against in order to change the experience of the oppressed. Instead of following the examples put forth by their oppressors, “The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption” (p. 36). Given this, I struggle with what and where my role is as an educator. If I am being placed in situations where I am defined as the “oppressor” how do I overcome that to do my job and fill the role I am given. This leads to Friere’s commentary that, “Those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly” (p. 42).  This seems to be the solution, and yet, a sentence later, “The man or woman who proclaims devotion to the cause of liberation yet is unable to enter into communion with the people whom he or she continues to regard as totally ignorant, is grievously self-deceived” (p. 43). This seems to come with the sub-text that there is really no way for anyone who has been put in a position of “influence” to truly educate anyone who comes to them.

In his presentation of “problem posing education”, Friere seems to (for the moment) present his ‘solution’ to the issue of how to educate the oppressed. In order to promote humanism in education, there must be “consciousness as consciousness of consciousness”, “acts of cognition, not transferals of information”, “dialogue” which leads to a “teacher-student with students-teachers” (p. 60-1). Proposal of this sort of education involves participation and engagement from all involved. I still sort of got the sense that even Friere thinks this concept of education is a bit far-fetched. In general, it seems that the ‘solutions’ put forth are negated in the next paragraph, if not the next sentence. It seems to me that the overall message is somewhat discouraging as far as educational impact is concerned.

I could be completely off in this interpretation of the reading, and perhaps reading the complete text would be of benefit; but in this brief glimpse into the musings of Friere, I leave feeling discouraged and unable to provide educational benefit since I do not feel oppressed. Hopefully someone will have some advice to reading this in a more positive light.

           

Reflection on Readings for 9/11

The readings this week continued in the vein of identity; awareness of identity, projection of identity, the effect of one's identity on the identity of others, and how identity defines educational practice, with particular focus on how it defines the learning environment one constructs. Each of the readings, in their own ways, presented the theme that to identify and define one's identity, as well as recognize and appreciate the identities of others, is a practice that one must constantly revisit and rework.

Some words that stood out to me from the readings included (in no particular order);
humility, acceptance, openness, engagement, renewal, growth, value, values, inclusion, challenge, awareness, process, experience, possibility, resilience, unity

It seems self evident that one's identity has the power to shape a learning experience, but through this weeks readings I realized the multi-layered implications go much deeper than I had considered in my own musings. Of particular interest on this thought was "Knowing Ourselves as Instructors". I think that the ideas presented in the article were things I had thought about on a surface level, or perhaps I just viewed them as thoughts that I was having while in similar situations and never realized that they were quite common. I am speaking, of course, of the feeling of discomfort that can be present when dealing with an array of identities in an educational space. Finding the connection and establishing respect for everyone's identity is presented as the "answer", as well as realizing that it may not feel warm and fuzzy during or after, but that doesn't mean there isn't a benefit for all involved.

I felt the need to approach "Opening the Classroom Door" from a somewhat abstract point of view. I attempted to define the "classroom" as any space where knowledge is being shared, even though the focus of the article was the more traditional sense of the word. Like in "Knowing Ourselves as Instructors", I considered many of the points to be self evident, but at the same time they were things I had never thought of or considered. For example, the suggestion that students bring their own adornments into the classroom to claim the space as theirs just as the teacher does by hanging posters and bringing books.

I am by nature an underliner, hilighter, note taker on all readings I do. I found the two readings presented in comic form difficult to engage with in my typical way, but nonetheless enjoyed the message.

I look forward to discussing the readings more in class this week!

My Learning Foundation

My three influences are all educators who played an important role in guiding me towards being an art educator. I wouldn't have such a passion to relay information and experiences onto others were it not for me having such magnificent examples of how that can be done in a way that is truly meaningful, and can make a lasting impact.
The first of these influences is my high school Photography and Art History teacher, Mrs. G. She had a way, as all good educators do, of being rigid and expecting a lot out of her students, while at the same time being the kindest and most approachable of all my teachers. If I was having a bad day and needed a quiet place to sit, her room was where I'd go. If I was struggling with anything, for school or anything else, she'd listen. She encouraged me creatively, and pushed me when I needed it. I owe to her my interest in Art History. I still have my Gardner's book from her class, where we were encouraged to take notes in the blank spaces next to the pictures, and flipping through that book always brings me back to her classroom. I knew at that point that I wanted to teach. What I wanted to teach wasn't so clear, but I knew I wanted to make children feel validated, complete, and worthwhile the way she had done for me.
The second influence who had a major impact on my education and my desire to teach was my undergraduate professor and mentor, Professor Sheramy Bundrick. I could write on and on about how amazing she is. I was actually just texting with a friend this morning who is now TAing at her graduate program, reminiscing about how wonderful Professor Bundrick was. We agreed that if any class we teach is half as good as a Bundrick class, we're doing good. She re-ignited my love of learning, and my love of Art History at a time when I wasn't sure I knew what I wanted to do. I had dabbled in several majors, from Early Childhood Education to Accounting, and was sort of lost. I took her Art History survey course for my art credit and realized it was just dumb that I had ever walked away from Art History in the first place. I changed my major, took as many classes as I could with her, and was continually inspired by her passion and dedication. Very similar to Mrs. G, she was no nonsense. She expected your best, and no less, but if you gave her that she was a treasure trove of advice, admiration, encouragement, and support. There is so much I could say about what an amazing educator she is, I just hope one day I can pass on the effect she had on me to others.
The last educator who really influenced me is my "boss" at the Dali Museum, the Director of Education, Peter Tush. I met Peter for the first time, actually, when I was in high school. He was a friend of Mrs. G's and whenever she took us to the Dali Museum for field trips, he cleared out space in his busy schedule to do our tour personally. It was not until I did my internship that I realized how many other things he has going on, and what a big deal it was that he took time out of his day for us. Thanks, Peter. Anyway, I was reintroduced to him in an undergraduate survey he was teaching about Dali at USF St. Petersburg (which is literally 3 blocks from the museum, and the two institutions have a great working relationship). The course was wonderful, Peter is a master storyteller. Dali is a pretty interesting guy, so any story you tell about him is bound to have entertainment value, but Peter gave everything that extra little something. He also knows so much about art of the late 19th and 20th centuries, his brain is like a jewelry box & the bits of information are the jewels. So, he taught this class, and it was only open to 10 students because it was also being taught to the museum's docent class for that year. After the course, the students were eligible to complete a few additional training sessions and become docents. I was the only one who did so. After the course, I applied for an internship with the Education Department at the museum, which I was awarded. I spent the four months of my internship at the museum half of the week, and the two years after that volunteering at least once a week giving a school tour, doing an outreach program, whatever was needed. Peter was the inspiration behind all of this. He made me want to work in a museum. His job was constantly engaging his mind in the best of ways, there were opportunities to impact the community on multiple levels, and he thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing. Seeing that Museum Education was what brought together my love of learning about art and my desire to share that with others without being set in a conventional classroom, tied everything together for me.
I am thankful to all three of them for the impact they've had on my life, but especially Professor Bundrick and Peter, because I wouldn't have gotten into grad school here at SAIC had it not been for their amazing letters of recommendation.

As far as my recommended texts are concerned;

1. "You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum"  by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman (Author) and Robin Glasser (Illustrator)

This book is amazing. It doesn't have any text, but it has some of the most beautiful illustrations I've ever encountered. It follows the journey of a little girl's balloon that she is required to leave with the guard upon entering the museum. The balloon gets away & the guard chases the balloon through the streets while the girl and her grandmother wander the galleries. Whatever the balloon encounters in the streets is echoed by a piece of artwork with the same characters or actions. I highly recommend it. There are two other ones for the MFA in Boston and the National Gallery.

2. Secret Life of Salvador Dalí by Salvador Dali

This is Dali's autobiography. It is partly fictionalized and completely out there. It's really entertaining. 

3. Vincent Van Gogh's Letters

For those who don't know, Van Gogh and his brother Theo were in constant communication throughout his life. Theo supported Vincent, and was also a bit of a pack rat, so he kept basically every letter Vincent ever sent him. All of the letters have been published and are available free online, translated into English. You can search by date, by artistic period, by where he was living, by whom he was writing to (it's not just Theo). You can also search by paintings he mentions, artists he mentions, writers he mentions, and the list goes on. There are many letters that have sketches that are just beautiful. It's a really neat webpage. Check it out! 

Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is Leslie & welcome to my blog for our Eth & Ped class. I am from Florida, new to Chicago as of this summer, and so far I'm loving the city.
As far as my background and how I ended up in Art Education, I have always been interested in art, reading, and learning in general. These hobbies that became loves were fostered by both of my parents, and by the school I went to for my entire life (K-12. They actually gave you a special medal to wear for graduation if you had been at the school that long.). My tumultuous undergrad experience varied from Early Childhood Education as my major one year, to Accounting the next, eventually to Art History. I grounded myself then in my love of art, and I spent the past two years in Florida as an intern and volunteer docent at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. It is one of the most dynamic and interesting places I have ever set foot in and I am so thankful that it was right in my backyard for me to take advantage of throughout my youth & undergraduate studies.
The experiences I had throughout my life led me to the museum. I love museums, I think there is something magical about walking through the doors (into a wonderfully air conditioned space that is quite inviting when you are coming from the 90+ degree, 90+% humidity that is Florida weather) and being transported to another place & time; multiple places & times, in fact. I decided Art Education was for me when I realized that I could help others to become familiar with that magic, and to give them a well rounded experience exploring the museum by helping to educate them on what they are seeing. I am a believer in learning through experiencing, and any lesson that includes art in its teaching automatically creates an experience and makes whatever is being taught seem important and applicable. Working at the Dali showed me that art can be a translating force for all subjects- Math, Science, History, and even Art itself.
 
I look forward to getting to know everyone this semester!