Pedagogy of the Opressed

 I always found school pretty easy. Take some notes, make some flash cards, pass a test, repeat. I had great relationships with my teachers and enjoyed being a part of school events. College classes have been pretty similar. Take notes, make flash cards, regurgitate information, repeat. THEN I started taking upper division courses & felt like the stupidest person in the room. Suddenly professors were probing and digging deeper into texts. Important points were made by fellow classmates that I 100% missed. Google couldn't even save me here. I often felt like a butterfly nailed to a board without a clue as to what was going on or why. What was wrong? I was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but I was very good at allowing deposited information to accumulate into my brain and not dig any deeper. Or when asked to dig deeper, faking it until I made it and hoped to never get called on. Sometimes I wonder if I was an intelligent student or just a good test taker...

According to Freire, the outdated system of the bank teller-deposit student-teacher relationship needs to be replaced. A more problem-solving/problem-posing style should take its place. This would allow students to dig deeper than their Cliff Notes and build critical-thinking skills. Problem-posing takes away the oppressor's (the current educational system) control and power. It becomes less and less of a teacher "filling" the "empty" minds of students. The teacher becomes a giver/guider. They give students the tools they need and guide them to a solution without spoon feeding. I have found that classes like those are the ones I learn the most from. I can pinpoint classes where I got a 4.0 and can't tell you one thing about the subject. I can pinpoint the classes where I barely passed or met the standards and still utilize the tools I was given and remember a lot. To me, that learning, challenging and motivating environment was how learning should take place. The professor expected a lot from us and you either rose to the occasion or you sat there mouth-breathing.

I understand the hoop jumping required to be a teacher. I just hope that in my real classroom I can be the teacher that gives/guides and does not simply deposit.