Only for the underprivileged?
Kincheloe states, “Critical pedagogy is interested in the margins of society, the experiences and needs of individuals faced with oppression and marginalization” (23). I believe that these students need us the most. However, how do we not ignore the others in our classrooms? Is it our job to only help the “the margins of society,” or are there also things that we can do for the others?
I think that teachers need to also realize that those “privileged” students also have obstacles in their lives that set them apart from others. They may have money, but they may not have a stable family life. They may have a stable family life, but they may be confused about their identity (shadowed by parents and siblings). We must also be mindful of these students. Even students of the most privileged background can benefit from our critical work.
posted by Matthew J. LaPine @ 5:03 PM
1 Comments:
Until you actually work with the underprivileged and those truly in need will you see just how limited these students' opportunities are. The simple notion of going to school in some countries is still a novelty. Based on caste and social ranking, some children are denied access to education altogether, deemed unworthy. I suggest you see Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's documentary Born Into Brothels. This film began as a 1993 experiment to shed life on this secret world in India where people do not even want their photographs taken. The streets are filled with poverty and prostitution. Briski befriends the curious children of the neighborhood, and gives seven of them photography lessons, each with their own personal camera. They started out as her subjects and ended up becoming her collaborators. These children were able to go to where no one else could go in these streets and capture images no Western photographer would dare be allowed to enter. In New York Times reporter reviewed the film..."in giving a handful of children the opportunity to regard themselves as artists and to perceive their surroundings as raw material, Ms. Briski snatches a measure of hope from depressing circumstances." Not only did Briski educate these children, she got to know them, their families, their lives, their culture so well that she was regarded as "Auntie Zana." One person's dedication to education and knowing they can change worlds and truly lift the weight of oppression is what I believe Friere had in mind.
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