Teachers and the Paradox of Education

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For the longest time, ever since I can remember really, I’ve been very curious about society and the world and have shown a lack of complacency. I would get in trouble sometimes with parents, teachers and other people with authority over my many, sometimes difficult to answer, questions. I would often wonder if there was something wrong with me, having so many questions and criticisms about the world and society, it wasn’t until a professor later reassured me that it wasn’t bad to ask questions, to push back.


While reading A Talk to to Teachers by James Baldwin, those moments in my life came back to me. In the reading Baldwin explains the paradox that teachers face wen educating students. Parents have an obligation to ensure that their children are educated and society has the desire to see schools produce subservient citizens who agree and believe in whatever society tells them. The entire purpose of education, according to Baldwin, is to help create a person who can make their own decisions about the world and be able to see the world for themselves. That if society tells them it’s supposed to be one way, they have the ability to draw their own conclusions and desire to challenge our society if necessary. 


I can see this resistance within the discipline of history. For many years, students and groups have called for more inclusive and diverse classes, schools and curriculums; often being met with resistance. Pulling away from only learning about straight, white men, and men and woman of color who have also contributed so much to the world and deserve to be learned about and remembered. And while there has been some progress made, students are still pushing for more inclusive spaces and pushing back on the resistance they often times encounter. 


A few thoughts that came into my head while reading this were: How do we create spaces and lessons where students are able to explore new ideas, ask questions and draw their own conclusions if we no longer think that way. This question comes from my own experiences, being in classroom where lessons were presented to us in such a way where “this means this and there’s no other way about it”. It’s a new fear of mine to create space where students feel like they can’t ask questions and that they feel like their desire to challenge and question things is wrong. Another question I have is how do I know if I’m instilling my own beliefs, questions and ideas into my students. I wouldn’t want to accidentally put in my students minds the idea that they have to ask the same questions as me and think the same way. And how do we help students who have had their resistance expressions suppressed? 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 6, 2024 at 5:19 PM

    I’m finding myself thinking about the types & scale of supportive structures and resources that are needed to facilitate the personal and professional growth of adults/teachers/administrators in education. It’s honestly overwhelming! Teachers are already overworked/stretched too thin, but a major transformation is necessary. The enormity of this challenge feels impossible, especially within the context of systemic constraints and pressures. How can we navigate this dual burden effectively? How do we prioritize the essential work of teacher-unlearning amidst competing demands of immediate classroom learning needs.

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  2. Abby Moon-Sarudi (they/them)March 6, 2024 at 6:33 PM

    Hi Sebastian! I definitely think we as educators have the role within diversifying our sources and view points as well as the voices of people other than straight white american/european male centered history. I think it is our job to provide students with all perspectives to promote critical thinking and our job at the end of the day should be providing students with all the information the need to think critically.

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  3. GabyMarch 6, 2024 at 8:27 PM

    Hi Sebastian, your concern about creating inclusive spaces for students to explore, question, and form their own perspectives is valid, especially considering your own encounters with rigid teaching methods. Striving to maintain "neutrality" while encouraging independent thought is essential to prevent inadvertently imposing your beliefs on students. However, it is important to reflect on what remaining "neutral" actually entails. Does it mean being silent and avoiding conversations of certain topics that could actually help students' understanding? Or does it mean conveying material to students in a way that is devoid of any and all personal opinion? This is something that I do not have a concrete answer for, but it is on my mind as well.

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  4. Raven DayMarch 7, 2024 at 12:46 PM

    Hi Sebastian!

    I really enjoyed reading your blog post. Your comments revolving around the subservient nature of schooling really struck me. Within a class last semester, I learned at length about the ways in which schooling has been offered to marginalized students/children purely on the basis of creating future, docile workers. The very beginnings of education are formed upon the predatory nature of grooming students for economic gain.

    It is for this very reason that I believe imagining an education that encourages critical and free thinking seems almost unimaginable. I believe that the necessity of critical thinking is often a privileged experience within education, made accessible for white students and/or students who come from a wealthy family.

    I guess I’m not really sure how to give a straight answer, but I think the first step would be to address the institutional discrimination embedded within schooling in America. By first acknowledging the history behind a country in favor of subservience over critical thinking, we can begin to venture into the territory of changing our teaching methods in order to encourage these critical skills. Valuing student opinion, promoting questions, and encouraging students to go beyond surface level teachings is vital to achieving a critical schooling.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 14, 2024 at 11:59 AM

    Hey Sebastian!

    I appreciate your reflection and your perspective of critical thinking and individual empowerment resonates. One of the aspects of my teacher training that I appreciate greatly is figuring out methods to assist students in feeling involved and engaged in their education. Educational content needs to be diversified. Much of what I have learned prior to college has been white cis male centered. Personally, I’m thinking of ways that I can be diligent in diversifying lessons. How am I approaching future classes centering the curriculum on Black, Brown, Queer, and Women’s voices? As an educator, it’s important to be comfortable with making mistakes and acknowledging them. The class needs to know that they can challenge you on your beliefs, and perspectives. These kinds of challenges can lead to fruitful and critical discussion. Lastly, I feel it’s important to change lessons if they are not working. I have a question based of yours. Is it ok to instill some of your own, ideas and beliefs? Can or should educators hold a neutral position?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Karolina LMay 1, 2024 at 7:33 PM

    Hi Sebastion!
    While reading your post I couldn't help but think of my ED 210 class. This class was the first time that I felt I was able to question the education system and finally realized how truly flawed it is. As you mentioned, our education system wants to produce working class citizens that obey to the rules of society, particularly white, rich men. I feel that it is my job as a teacher to teach my students that it is normal and okay to question things, like our society and schools. However, how can we do this when there are rules, standards, timelines, etc. that teachers have to meet? There are so many answers to this question and I believe including diversity into the classroom (as you mentioned) is definitely one of them! Thank you for your post and insights on this topic. I really enjoyed reading and responding to it.

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