Critical Reflection #2: Paving the Road
Myles Horton and Paulo Freire open chapter three of We Make the Road by Walking by discussing the relationship between theory, practice, and knowledge. The two men advocate for the combination of practice and theory to cultivate knowledge. Freire posits that “without practice there’s no knowledge” but that “practice in itself is not its theory” (98). To expand upon the metaphor of the spiral of knowledge, I visualized a spinning top toy. Theory is the direction in which the spiral top is spun, practice is the act of spinning the top, and knowledge is the production of the spinning top in motion. Just like a spinning top does not necessarily stay in one spot as it spins, Freire says that “knowledge is changed to the extent that reality also moves and changes” (101).
Next, Horton and Freire analyze the intersection of politics and education by problematizing neutrality in academia. I immediately thought of a powerful quote by Desmond Tutu, who stated, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Horton echoes this quote when he says “there can be no such thing as neutrality. It’s a code word for the existing system” (102). Freire expands on this by arguing that “it is impossible for education to be neutral, educators have to confront some practical problems” (104). They proceed to debunk the assumption that someone like a biology teacher should remain neutral, because “Whatever you have to contribute has a social dimension” (105). They clarify that there is a difference between imposing an idea on somebody versus sharing an idea with somebody by situating the curriculum in social context.
Having grown up in a white, financially stable, two-parent household in Marin County, I am aware that many of my demographic attributes provide me extraordinary privileges in the world today. My humanities and sociology courses have given me a great foundation for understanding my privileges, and have inspired me to use my platform for good. I am excited to learn more about the canal, a community that is adjacent to mine but I have spent relatively little time in. One of my goals is to not only serve the community, but to voice my concerns to people in my community who have the status and privilege to do make both personal and systematic changes.
