Jacqueline’s Blog

     I really liked this chapter.  I thought many of the characteristics that he talks about that teachers should learn to have are also qualities that people in our society should have.  Humility is a key one for me.  It is one that I am always striving for.  I liked his quote in the book: No one knows it all; no one is ignorant of everything.  I see this with people in my family who have come from different life experiences.  Many times, I would comment about a situation and the response that I would get from them is something like ”you don’t know”.  I have always tried to maintain the philosophy that someone always has some kind of knowledge or skill that they can offer to the world.  I hate to see when people think they know it all or that someone else doesn’t know what they are talking about, because I think they miss out on a good life-learning experience.  I wrote out in the margins that you can be certain that there will be times in your life of uncertainty.  Once you realize that, I think most people live their lives with a little more peace.  They know the uncertain times will come, but they also know that with humility, it can be a great learning experience.

   The other area that I found profound in this chapter was lovingness.  When Freire talks about armed love, I do think of teachers. I fight so that children will believe in themselves. I fight so that children will aspire to any occupation in the world.  I fight so that the children of today will be as passionate as I am to pass on that armed love to someone else.  If there are a handful of children that go on to make a big impact on this world, then I have done my job.  However, there are many times that other people in this world will fight against you.  They will fight to bring children down to a level of self-doubt and disbelief.  You, as a teacher, have to fight harder and louder than those who will delight in the fall of success.  If you are successful of that when you are teaching that child, hopefully, they won’t ever forget!  Then, twenty years down the road, when the world seems like it is closing in, they will remember the teacher who fought for them, who believed in them, and the former student will push on towards the goal!

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