the Paradox of Education; a Tool for Reform and a Weapon of Indoctrination
In his essay, a Talk to Teachers Baldwin optimistically reflects on the transformative power of educators and the educated and engaged citizen. Baldwin begins his essay by acknowledging that “we are living through a very dangerous time”(Baldwin 17) and there is a universal uneasiness about the state of our world. He states that those who identify themself as a responsible citizen of their country, especially educators, should be prepared to “go for broke”(Baldwin, 17). He extrapolates this idea by asserting that education is curated along a framework that “perpetuates the aims of society”; to create a subservient citizen that obeys the law. Within this social structure, Baldwin contends that it is the obligation and responsibility of educators and the educated, engaged citizen to examine and challenge the harm exhibited by an authoritarian society. In this struggle, those who confront social institutions will be met with “...the most fantastic, the most brutal, and the most determined resistance”(Baldwin, 17). However, Baldwin notes the paradox between education as a tool for revolutionary reform and, a weapon for authoritarian indoctrination.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this duality in education as of late; how the public school system uplifts white-supremacist, capitalist, and patriarchal ideas whilst simultaneously acting as a confrontational, critical, and deconstructive force to combat these ideologies. More specifically, I have been reflecting on the ways that I have been conditioned by the same authoritarian ideas that I actively criticize.
For example, before I officially came out of the closet in 2021 I was, unbeknownst to me, suffering from and projecting internalized queer and homophobia. Whenever I would see openly LGBTQ+ individuals quite literally minding their business and being themselves, I found myself forming hypercritical opinions of their character even though I literally didn’t even know who the hell the people were. I would often think “They just want attention” and “Being gay/queer is just a trend”. In reality, I was envious and resentful of their liberation from heteronormative ideals, at least on an individual level. I have come to realize that I have learned to accept, promote, and internalize these ideas through an education system that teaches patriarchal ideology and condemns curricula around gender and sexuality. Even as I continue to grow more comfortable with being my authentic self, I still catch myself harboring and correcting these brainwashed sentiments three years later.
I'm not sure if what I wrote makes any sense, if my thoughts and ideas are connected to one another, or if this is even relevant to the reading,, but I pose these questions/inquiries: how can we as future educators ensure we do not continue the cycle of authoritarianism in education? How do we check ourselves to verify we are not perpetuating the harmful stereotypes, assumptions, and attitudes we have learned toward our students? How do we begin the process of unlearning? What is something that you have had to come to terms with unlearning? Is there something you struggled to unlearn? What responsibility do teachers have to teach their students the oppressive systemic realities that we live under? How can we acknowledge the lived experiences of our students in the classroom and through our curriculum?
Hi Al, thank you so much for this synthesis of this week’s readings, and for sharing your personal story, which is very much relevant to this week’s readings and definitely “makes sense.” I think your question about how we avoid perpetuating the “cycle of authoritarianism in our classroom,” cognizant of Baldwin’s identification of the dual nature of education (capable of being both liberating and oppressing), is a key challenge we face as future educators. I especially like your question, “how do we begin the process of unlearning?” because it is relevant to both educators and students. It seems that we as educators need to first consider this question for ourselves (as you have) before we extend the process in our classrooms. After all, how can we teach students to unlearn certain things before we ourselves have attempted the feat? I suspect that our contemplation will be insufficient though: through the process of teaching, we will become aware of many other things we need to unlearn, and we’ll have to be mindful of and open to changing our views about these things as they arise. You also ask, “what responsibility do teachers have to teach their students the oppressive systemic realities that we live under?”, and I think the answer is we have a deep responsibility to do so. By teaching students that these are systemic oppressions, not reflective of personal shortcomings, but are instead constructed, with intention, by real historical and contemporary actors, we show students that these systemic oppressions do not reflect the way reality should be or has to be. By emphasizing the social construction of systemic oppressions, we demonstrate the ways the dismantling of these oppressions must also be systemic, and not just individual. And we also show that the hegemony is incomplete: if I can recognize that this system has been created, then I can recognize that it can be undone. At this point in my curriculum, I’d present students with texts that evidence individuals coming together to challenge systemic oppressions in history. I’d like to present students with a view of society that is realistic (ie, systemic oppressions exist) but that underscores that humans have the power to create the world as they see fit, because I believe this view discourages apathy and promotes civic engagement.
ReplyDeleteI often think about/worry/reflect on how I participate in the ongoing authoritarianism cycles of schools. It’s overwhelming to consider the extent of necessary work to achieve a more liberatory education in the US. It seems essential to challenge the very structure of education itself—from class organization and departmental structures to daily schedules and teacher expectations. I’m really interested in learning more about any schools that have embedded indigenous restorative justice practices, such as Circles, throughout all layers of the school. So often, it’s just a “tool” used for student-discipline, but I believe they should be woven into the fabric of the entire school culture, including regular staff Circles, designated community Circle days, and inter-grade Circle groups. However, implementing such practices requires time, expertise, and the involvement of elders with Circle knowledge, and significant efforts are needed to instigate cultural change. No answers here, I just appreciate your concern and have similar questions!
ReplyDeletehi Al :3 I appreciate your synopsis and your own personal experience with being queer due to having a similar experience with queerness. I often thing about what occurs in schools, from not being able to give students the best and most efficient accommodations to causing trauma to a student and how we as educators uphold an authoritarian cycle. What can I do to reflect on my actions and continue to learn? I want to be able to grow as an educator and continue to learn/use what I have learned outside of college. I want to be able to provide a safe space for students and I feel as if the easiest way I can connect with students is being able to be vulnerable and participate within their communities. I do not want to be seen as purely an authoritarian figure but actually demonstrate that my students are NOT replaceable and be able to show that I care about them and they do matter.
ReplyDeleteHi Al,
ReplyDeleteYou pose a lot of great questions in your blog post. I too have begun to think a lot about our unconscious learned biases and opinions. There are two questions from your blog that I wanted to respond to in particular. “How do we check ourselves to verify we are not perpetuating the harmful stereotypes, assumptions, and attitudes we have learned toward our students? How do we begin the process of unlearning?”. While I will not claim to know the answer to either of these questions, I would like to give my perspective on them.
For the first one, how we check ourselves to harmful stereotypes, assumptions, attitudes, etc. I would say that I am open to learning and hearing various opinions, even ones that I personally may not agree with. I try to keep an open mind, speak my peace but I try not to go into a conversation with the mindset of wanting to “win” it. This helps me check myself by not being too quick to form an opinion. I have a variety of friends from a variety of backgrounds. Some are more conservative and some more liberal, but the main thing is that I can talk about anything and have an honest conversation in a space where we can disagree but still talk. I think a lot of the world is set in a “me vs. them” mindset. But there are a lot of reasons why we tick the way we do as human beings. This also in turn will help me be a better educator because I can hear stories and be open to hearing other perspectives. I have learned a lot about the world through these talks and it has helped me be able to hold my composure while disagreeing. It has also helped me be more empathetic, which is something the world and the classroom needs more of!
To the second question, how we can begin the process of unlearning, this kind of goes with the first. Not only do open conversations help but being able to have the hard conversations. I can admit that I have bias and I am actively trying to unlearn them. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I also give myself grace for my thought and try to not let my thoughts and emotions control me. I saw a TikTok that was saying to think of your thoughts as an assistant that is giving you too much information that you don’t need, and then to speak to it. I try to say things to myself/ brain like “thank you Susan, but that information is not needed at this time.” It sounds silly but it really has helped! I also believe that my time at UIC has greatly helped me unlearn. Education of any kind can help us expand our perspectives, and I am very thankful for that.
Hope I didn’t ramble too much either!
Ana
Hi Al, your post addresses many of the the concerns I also have, and I'm sure many of us share as we prepare to become educators. First of all, thank you for sharing your experience and the ways in which the hidden agenda of school systems contributed to an inherent bias. It is crucial for future educators to critically examine their own belief and practices to avoid perpetuating oppressive systems. Our biases can manifest in subtle ways, influencing how we interact with and perceive our students. Without conscious reflection and examination of our own beliefs and practices, we risk perpetuating oppressive systems that marginalize certain groups of students. This process requires humility, openness to feedback, and a willingness to challenge deeply ingrained beliefs.
ReplyDeleteHello Al, I enjoyed reading your story about challenging preconditioned sentiments that you had about LGBTQ+ people. It really resonated with me as I too feel I was conditioned by similar sentiments when I was younger. To answer your question about how we as educators could check our selves so we are not perpetuating hateful rhetoric we have learned, I think it is important that we acknowledge the diverse perspectives of students in our classroom and take time to highlight different opinions that may arise when discussing certain topics. Even when it is opinions we may not necessarily agree with, it is important that we are not forcing our students to see things in one set way. As for how we begin the process of unlearning, conversations with our students is a great way to start I think as they will offer us a diverse range of perspectives. There is so much that we can learn from our students and that starts by fostering a classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteHey, hi, hello Al!
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing insightful and relevant themes in your response. I also appreciate your vulnerability in recounting personal experiences. I believe you’ve touched on vulnerability in the classrooms before. I feel your vulnerability will assist you well in classrooms that are less authoritarian and more communal.
A lot of the questions you’ve asked are things I’ve been reflecting on as well. I’m grateful for the content of our ART210 class. I think we can do away with the authoritarian approach in classrooms if we use classes as spaces for learning and conversation that are without power structures. Yes, The educator is the insider or expert and the students are seeking to become insiders as well. However, I think we can agree that students should have a say in how the classroom is run and what they are learning. How would it feel to have students excited about a curriculum that reflects on their lived experiences? We do need to get away from white-supremacist, capitalist, and patriarchal schooling strategies (This needs an acronym). Part of moving away from white authoritative schooling structures is re-centering curriculum on LGBTQIA+voices.
I think unlearning requires ctirical presence with learned behaviors. Additionally, we have to engage in what has not been taught to us. This partially helps us recognize our biases. Assumptions are seldom helpful, especially when adolescent experiences are involved.