Empowering Education

For this reading I really felt like that I could connect to it because it was about schooling and how many of the things that students face are what they told when they are younger and how it may stay with them. One quote I chose was; "Many students do not accept these limits, which is why teachers often face resistance in the classroom. Many teachers also refuse to be un­ democratic educators, which limits the extent to which the official syllabus and authority can be imposed on students, In this conflicted setting, the empowering educator transforms the teacher', unilateral authority,  the empowering educator transforms the teachers unilateral authority." This really stuck out to me because if one thing is said to a student it can stick with them their whole life and how much work you can do is threatened because you may feel discouraged. The second quote I chose reminded me of the freedom writers because Mrs. G helped them move away from what they were defined as and stop putting the, down. If she could've been with them right from the very start of their education their lives would have been so different because she doesn't put them down, unlike most of the other teachers and other guardians in their life."To help move students away from passivity and cynicism, a powerful signal has to be sent from the very start, a signal that learning is participatory, involving humor, hope, and curiosity." In highschool and sometimes even college you are not allowed to express your opinions because the teachers are to busy lecturing and teaching you what you have to know in order to move on. I liked the idea of the discussion we do in our class because it gives everyone a chance to voice their opinion without the teacher having something to say about it. This article talks about the idea of the Socratic circle and what the teacher sees during that time, mostly all pros.  http://marinagijzen.com/2014/02/14/less-teacher-talk-more-class-discussion/