Ok I have never run an online discussion about a book, if anyone wants to email me walterbrown@gmail.com with suggestions I would much appreciate it.
I picked a couple of quotes from the book, shared a personal reflection or classroom experience inspired by the quote and tried to keep the discussion positive. I am not suggesting you need to keep the conversation positive however remember it is easier to complain than to see the value in something.
2 comments:
I've also written on school reform briefly. Come see what I've had to say.
I am a member of ALL CITY and was the one who posted the article about the empowerment schools. I was excited to see your interest in changing things at the level of the teacher. I was also encouraged to see you mentioning the radical work of Paulo Freire who has had an incredible influence upon the student/youth activists in ALL CITY. I firmly believe that the improvement of education is a joint effort by all involved starting with parents followed by teachers, students and the broader community.
As Paulo points out, schools are part of a larger social system and the improvement of the schools cannot occur in isolation. What I am interested in is the transformation of the world so as to improve the lives of people who have been traditionally exploited and marginalized. This can only happen when there is solidarity around radical change of our society. If we apply this to schools then we cannot only ask how teachers or parents are going to change the school. We must ask how schools can be a place of intervention where we can empower students, parents, teachers, and the community to better transform their world. This is not opposed to the improvements that teachers can make as members of a movement. In fact, the role of teachers is integral to such a movement.
I would like to hear what you think about the role that parents, students, and the community can play in not just reform but a TRANSFORMATION of schools.
Post a Comment