Critical Reflection 2: Critical Consciousness
The education system is designed to teach and create an obedient society. Students are taught to stick to the status quo, which is ultimately determined by the dominant group. Thinking back on my own education, I can see how one-sided all the material was. Almost all of the time, it seemed to be from the perspective of the Whites or the superior group. Rarely did we ever learn about how African Americans or Latinos played a role in history or society. And the times we did talk about the subordinate groups the story seemed swayed and brief. For example, in class, we talked about Rosa Parks. When I was young, we were taught that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of the bus to a White person and she was arrested. In wasn’t until last week, that I learned that she, along with many other civil rights activists, has planned this act. Schools try to portray history in a way that makes America and the dominant groups look good. The system wants society to be neutral and obedient, but according to Friere, in We Made the Road by Walking, “there can be no such thing as neutrality. It’s a code word for the existing system it has nothing to do with anything but agreeing to what is and will always be” (p. 102). Neutrality is an excuse to hide and not side with the unpopular opinion. Friere emphasizes that we should push towards a new form of education that cultivates critical consciousness and that is devoted to freedom. He wants society to “learn how hard it is to make history, and how important it is to learn that we are being made by the history we make in the societal process inside of history” (p. 216). However, creating change is not that simple. It is a process that would require a lot of work, time, and collaboration. “Education occurs within a social framework and is designed to perpetuate the aims of society” (Baldwin p. 1). Baldwin believes that it is important that we are aware of what society is trying to teach us about our history and that we reflect on how we can question our society and make a change. He explains how African Americans are taught that their people didn’t contribute anything to civilization. However, Baldwin says if he were a teacher, he would teach African Americans that they can make a change once they develop a consciousness of society. Hooks stated, “Freire’s work, in its global understanding of liberation struggles, always emphasizes that this is the important initial stage of transformation — that historical moment when one begins to think critically about the self and identity in relation to one’s political circumstance” (hooks, p. 47). This further emphasizes the movement towards critical consciousness of society and ourselves as an individual. I agree that it is important for humans to reflect on how biased our society is and think about how we can make a difference.
Two points from these articles that resonated with me are that education cannot be neutral, and how to transform education from a process of indoctrination to the practice of freedom. In We Make the Road by Walking, Friere explains how politicians and society want education to be taught from a neutral standpoint. Neutrality gives in to the dominant group. He goes into detail about how you can’t just teach biology — or any subject for that matter. He states, “is it possible to discuss, to study the phenomenon of life [biology] without discussing exploitation, domination, freedom, democracy, and so on. I think that’s impossible” (Friere, p. 104). It is important to put what you’re teaching into a social context. I agree with this idea that education cannot be neutral and that we learn that sides should be taken and why we are choosing that particular side. Later on, Friere describes transitioning to an education devoted to freedom. It would be incredibly difficult and would require a lot of risks, which many people fear. This change would require a whole new generation of teachers who are prepared, trained, and formed through a rigorous process. I am curious if this could actually become a reality in the future and how the whole process would work.
This semester I will be working with Reading Buddies in Marin City, whose goal is to improve the students’ reading skills. At my site, the population is mostly African American, so I think the ideas of oppression that was touched on in A Talk to Teachers will be relevant — how African Americans are looked down upon in history. African Americans, being a subordinate group, are set up in our society to not be as successful as the dominant group. Many of the student’s parents probably have experienced many forms of oppression and I think the students have the potential to go against the norms. From the self-orientation, I learned how critical it is for a student to be able to read at their proper reading level by third grade as it is crucial for succeeding in high school and going to college. Literacy and education are useful tools to help students stay out of crime. I look forward to helping these students improve their reading skills so that they can be more successful and I hope to learn from their experiences.
