Blog Post #6
October 25, 2007
connorsa351
When thinking about Freire’s ideas in the book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I think I would have to be both the oppressor and be oppressed myself. Due to New York State standards and curriculum constantly being made more difficult and demanding on students, I feel teachers become oppressed. They are forced to cover a certain amount of information through the course of a year, and are pressured to ensure that their students learn and understand everything they are supposed to know. There is no say in what they think students in their grade level should be learning. I feel that I would be oppressed, in that I would not have the time to do all the activities and extended units with my students. I hope to create a way to engage my students, rather than just lecture and constantly send new information orally to the students within my class. I do not think that is an effective way to teach, especially for students in elementary grade levels. They do not retain the information and easily become bored and restless.
As far as the students in my class go, I feel they would be oppressed in that they have no say of what goes on during their school day. They are forced to quietly sit at their desks, raise their hand if they want to speak, ask permission if they can go to the bathroom or eat snack, and they must listen to everything their teacher says. Their academics are planned for them, and they have to learn and understand all subject areas, such as math, science, social studies, and English language arts. They are essentially oppressed, as they sit and just take information in. When I become a teacher and have a classroom of my own, I do not want to oppress my students, but feel I have no other choice for myself but to be oppressed. I can fight to make improvements within the system, but I feel it will take years to change.
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1.
nessa20 | October 26, 2007 at 8:26 am
Before reading your blog I really didn’t think about NYS standards that teachers have to follow. After reading your post it made me think and I agree with you that following rules and regulations as a teacher can make you opressed but I think that you have to find your balance and when you are in your classroom I believe that you will find out what works for you. I don’t think anyone would want their students to feel oppressed. As an educator though even though you have to follow standards you can make lessons hands on and give the students the opportunity to create lessons and have a say about what goes on so they don’t just sit there and absorb the knowledge they will be active participants in their learning.
2.
dlenny | October 28, 2007 at 7:14 pm
I also, never took the NYS standards into consideration before I came across your blog. Althought teachers do not have a say in what they teach, I dont think it would work well if teachers got to pick what they taught. It would most likely lead to a problem, students would be learning different topics in different years. I look at it as this, we generally know what you teach in each grade. Therefore, you can base what grade needs to be taught what. Teacher do have some decisions in that way.
3.
Ashley Lundgren | November 1, 2007 at 11:50 am
I never thought of myself as being oppressed in that sense. I would have never thought to look at in as NYS standards as the oppressors and myself the oppressed. I read a few other blogs and they also touched based on being involved with the students rather then just lecturing. I think this is a good point.
4.
Christine | November 1, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I completely agree with you. It’s those standardized tests that are killing not only the students but the teachers as well. You have to make sure your students get good grades but in order to do that you have to use a teaching method that is not the same as your own might be. We are oppressed!