Paulo Freire Interview
What if we were eager to understand others’ perspectives and
truly willing to listen to them instead of impatiently waiting to get our point
across?
The classroom would be different.
The workplace would be different.
Our
communities would be different.
Our world would be different.
Life would be
different.
According to Paulo Freire in his book Pedagogy of the
Oppressed, “true generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the
causes which nourish false charity. False charity constrains the fearful and
subdued, the ‘rejects of life’, to extend their trembling hands. True
generosity lies in striving so that these hands – whether of individuals or
entire peoples – need be extended less and less in supplication, so that more
and more they become human hands which work and, working, transform the world.”
(p. 45)
Instead of seeing people as objects we need to control, we
must have a mindset transformation. This transformation results in seeing
people as actual human beings with hearts, minds, feelings and emotions just as
everyone else. Allowing everyone to have and own their unique perspective while
simultaneously understanding no one’s view point is better than another’s.
Freire begins a revolution in the way teachers run a
classroom. Teaching is no longer the teacher simply imparting information to
their students; now knowledge is co-created between both the teachers and
students allowing the students to have a voice in how they learn. Freire
believes knowledge is not within someone, it is in the discussion. Dialogue
opens the door for students to learn and grow together while not placing anyone
above another. This is also a process. This is a journey each person walks out
in order to “transform the world” (p. 45). The teachers and students work
together to build upon their knowledge collectively. Each person is becoming
who they are meant to be. We are in the process of learning who we are
authentically; therefore allowing us to understand the authenticity of others.
This understanding helps us from limiting others perspectives because it is
different from what we know. It diminishes the idea of false charity and gives
life to true generosity.
STORY TIME: Considering I have not many years of experience teaching, I
tend to relate what we are learning to the corporate world and sometimes to the
nonprofit organizations I have been involved with. Beyond These Shores (BTS) is
an organization I have worked with for many years which I feel generates some
of these principles Freire believes throughout many different community
projects around the world. One specific project BTS founded is a micro-finance
project. The micro-finance project sends a team of specific individuals into
some of the most poverty stricken areas around the world, while partnering with
local businesses, to invest a loan into someone to help them start a business
that will produce a sustaining income for their family over time. This project
does not go into these areas to simply say “Here is $10, go get a meal.” This
project demonstrates exactly what I believe Freire was stating when he said
these individuals and groups of people should not have to keep asking for help,
we should be creating avenues for these people to work with us to change the
way they not only live, but also the mindset in which they have thought. The
best part about this project is most people who have gone to these areas to
help always come back with a different perspective on people and live than they
had when they left. Typically the team would feel as if they are doing a good
deed, which Freire may say is contributing to the oppression. However, in the
case of this organization and the teams I have personally spent time speaking
with, the dialogue among the team and the people is what changes mindsets and
in turn allows each person to create knowledge together in order to implement
change in the world.
#authenticallylearningyou
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY:
Bloomsbury.
Nicole, Nicely written. It seems that you have a gift for writing about pedagogical sources.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you concluded this analysis with the notion of true generosity. I think the connotations of the word generosity have always made me weary of viewing (even the most effective) pedagogy as an act of generosity, but I think your interpretation of Freire certainly supports that claim. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDaniel, thanks for the response! I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and giving feedback! This notion of true generosity is very interesting to me as I feel generosity typically (more like always) has hidden intentions. So understanding how to facilitate true generosity and not conform to the ways of the rest of the world (even our own desires some times) is a difficult one to navigate.
ReplyDelete