Empowering Education

The article that we read this week was called Empowering Education written by Ira Shor.  I really liked this article because it talks about everything that I stand for when teaching and helping young people in the world today.  I agree with what the article says as well as what Zach said in his blog.  The author says what children should be focusing on school and how it shouldn't be solely focused on the three R's but on socialism and peeking ones curiosity.   Shor had quoted Piaget and said "If the aim of intellectual training is to form the intelligence rather than stock the memory, and to produce intellectual explorers rather than the mere education, than traditional education is manifestly guilty of a grave deficiency."  I agree with this.  Things should be taught to children in a way where they can ask questions and form their own opinion on the subject at hand.  Instead as students we are forced to memorize things and believe things taught and not to question.  One particular situation comes to mind for me when I was a freshman in high school and I was in biology class and the subject of evolution was being taught.  Now as an adult I understand evolution and what it is but when I was a child I didn't and I was brought up Catholic and I questioned my teacher about his and said that I was taught that God created everything.  Now I understand this concept but then I made a big deal about it and instead of working with me and trying to understand where I came from I was forced to sit in the office while this subject was taught and then later transferred into another biology class.  Now what if that caused some damage for me and I never questioned things again?  Some children will have one bad experience like that and it would end their curiosity and questioning forever.  I'm lucky that didn't happen for me. 

Like Zach said in his blog again school is very high pressure now a days and everything is related to test.  They make you work alone and then say well how come the kids do not socialize with each other.  It's because they are told not to.  I believe that working in groups and combining thoughts and ideas kids can come up with solutions for anything.  I also believe that as teachers we should push kids to be more and go get more.  Like the article says if empowered to do more kids can do anything they set their minds to.  The children should be able to think for themselves, decide what they want to do when they get older, and form their opinions about society and the world as a whole.  It's the teachers responsibility to do this, to push them to their potential.  This relates to the last few readings.  I believe that kids fail because no one gives them a shot.  It reminds of me this student in my service learning placement and I just talked about this in my journal.  This kid has a hard life and is a troubled kid and everyone gives up on him but his teacher now pushes him to do more and while I was there I pushed him to do more and to be a better person.  In the short time I've been there and watched him he has caught up on his work, got his internship set up and he found a job to help support his family.  I truly believe kids can do anything they set their minds to but it is on us to push them to ask the questions and to strive to make a difference and change. 

I found this video on youtube and it is a ted talk by Dr. Christopher Emdin who was the keynote at the promising practices and I think it fits nicely with this reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouudXr-csZg

Questions for the class:
As teachers how will you empower your students?
What changes would you bring to the classrooms?
How would you react to your students question the subjects at hand?