Silencing Teachers in an Era of Scripted Reading & Freire’s 2nd letter
As I sit here on a Saturday night trying to write a research critique for Diane’s class on Tuesday, I am overcome by my own fear. Where does this fear come from and why am I letting it get the best of me? As it has happened more than once in the past few months, I am turning to the words of Paulo Freire in order to make sense of something that frustrates me to no end. Right now, I am FRUSTRATED by my own fear.
Although simplistic, Freire gives his readers a prescription for their fear: “When faced with fear of any kind, one must first objectively ascertain whether there are real reasons for that fear. Second, if those reasons do exist, one must match them against the available possibilities for overcoming them successfully. Third, if an obstacle cannot be overcome right away, one must determine what steps to take toward becoming better capable of overcoming it tomorrow” (Freire, 2005, 50). Seems simple enough, right? So then why is it easier for some to conquer their fears than others?
When I read about the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Jaeger I tried to put myself in her shoes. And I have to be honest, I can’t say that I would have had the confidence in myself personally to do what she did. This is not to say that I wouldn’t have shared some of her same views. The instructional practices that she challenged were certainly inappropriate, and they needed to be challenged. And although I’m sure she experienced some level of fear, she was able to bring herself to stand up for what she believed in, regardless of the price it cost her. She did have support from some of her peers, which I’m sure made it easier to overcome her fear. Making her voice heard was worth it to Jaeger to put her fear aside. It is a shame to me that there are any teachers out there that are afraid to advocate for their students and for what they know correlates with best practices in teaching and stand up for what they believe in. But I know that we’re everywhere.
The logical next step for me seems to make sure that I surround myself with the right people so that I will be more confident in overcoming my fears and standing up for what I believe in. (Thank goodness for all you fellow EdSers!) While although I am inspired by Jaeger’s story and the stories of many others, I don’t feel confident in conquering my fear of inadequacy in writing this critique tonight. Maybe I’ll be capable of conquering it tomorrow. Thanks Freire!
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I picked the exact same qoute from Freire as well and I just had to comment on it because it was my favorite! It is a qoute I need to hang up and read when I am feeling the fear and difficultness of school(either work or EdS) rise. I also am thankful for our EdS class to help me put my “fears” in perspective. We are lucky to have each other to discuss and share all of our thoughts and ideas to help make more sense out of it all. Freire’s qoute also seems to be saying there is always tomorrow if we can’t figure it out today–sounds like you will figure out your critique tomorrow!
Wow, Corey! You are a very intelligent writer! I was very impressed with Elizabeth Jaeger. I felt as if the theme from “Rocky” should have been playing in the background as I read it. I thought it was so great that she continued to fight for what she believed in and what was best for her students, even though she was running into brick walls every which way she turned. I, like you, don’t know that I am confident enough to do what she did. I laughed when I read your statement that you “know that we’re everywhere” when referring to teachers that are afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Ha ha!