Paulo Freire’s ‘Teachers as Cultural Workers: Letter to Those Who Dare Teach’ presents many of the author’s central ideas about education, culture, and social change. In this book, Freire communicates to teachers frankly about important ideas he learned from longtime experience as an educational, social theorist. The purpose of this book is to challenge all those who ‘dare to teach’ to extremely reflect on the meaning of the process of teaching in addition to the meaning of learning (Freire, 2018). The author intends to show why teacher’s success relies heavily on an undying commitment to learning and training, as part of continuous evaluation of classroom practice. The book also aims to help teachers discover their success, mistakes, and doubts through assessing the curiosity of learners and the process in which students develop approaches for learning.
According to Paulo Freire, those who dare to teach must ever yearn to learn. There are always new things to do in education in the process of learning that must be practiced in daily activities. Freire explains studying as both teachings and learning on the part of the teacher. Those who dare to teach must also try to synthesize what they read and what is commonly known instead of dichotomizing the two aspects (Freire, 2018). Freire also cautions that those who dare to teach must deviate from memorizing but rather understand the concepts they encounter.
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Freire: First letter
Freire refers to teachers as learners who learn through relearning because of the notion that learning takes place through reviewing previous concepts. He, therefore, means that through teaching, teachers can revisit previous thoughts on similar concepts, as well as incorporating what seems to be innocent guesses by students who have essential contributions to the concepts. Through their teaching with an open mind ready to take into account students’ views, teachers relearn concepts that were previously taught.
The author states that there is mutual interdependence in the different ways through which a learner acquires knowledge. He refers to knowledge of an essential creative and re-creative activity that is acquired through reading and reflection of natural occurrences (Freire, 2018). Freire further says that a learner should the process of knowledge acquisition but should synthesis both learned and natural experience. Learners who have experienced this kind of learning understand that knowledge is not limited to precise reading.
Reading of the world, according to Freire, involves sensory experiences that one acquires in daily social concepts while reading of the word involves the comprehension of concept read in school concept ( FreireProject , 2012) . Freire says that sensory experience, which is real world experience precedes any acquired knowledge since people first interact with the social context before interaction with the abstract world through text comprehension.
According to Freire, the relationship between reading and writing is that the processes aim at enhancing comprehension, which is achieved through compounding social experience with knowledge acquired in the school setup. However, he says that people make a mistake in teaching reading and writing by trying to divide or diminish what he calls ‘reading of the world against abstract concepts.
Freire: Second letter
In Freire’s second letter, the author expounds the challenging moment people go through in trying to understand different texts. To overcome this fear, people seek help from others or experienced gained from other readings (Freire, 2018). In facing this fear, people have to try forgetting the fear of not comprehending the concept, and instead try to look at the concept more often.
Epistemological curiosity, according to Freire, is the thinking process that triggers a person to asking questions and seeking the truth of events and things that happen around them. He says that epistemological curiosity is a methodology that reflects on a concept helping a person to move from people from ingenious curiosity to great understanding (Freire, 2018). Scientism, on the other hand, is an ideology elevates science as the sole means by which people should establish epistemological values.
Freire views the creation of meaning through reading a text as a multiplex process of dialogue between writing and reading. He says that reading is a process of writing and vise versa. Readers, according to the author, apply the ideas they encounter from a text in their personal life and use experience in interpreting and rewriting the text.
Paulo Freire argues about the fallacy of viewing education system like a bank; a setting where students go to withdraw concepts they require in life. He discredits this view saying that knowledge cannot be passed from teachers to students (Freire, 2018). Learners must build knowledge from what they already know, and teachers must understand how students understand the world for the latter to learn.
Freire: Third letter
Teachers actively contribute to other people’s growth. Teaching should be perceived as a professional since the teacher help to mold the future of other professionals. Incompetence in teaching can contribute to others’ failure to achieve their dreams (Freire, 2018). Paulo Freire says that teaching should be treated as a profession as it is not only fundamental but also indispensable in life.
According to Freire, most teachers go through the training program as a bridge for other professions or marriage. He, however, states that teacher training can be improved in a way that would help society view teaching as a great career.
Teachers’ salary, according to Freire, is subject to taxes and cuts, which makes the teachers earn low income than other professionals (Freire, 2018). Therefore teachers prefer political leaders who promise to reduce taxes for the former to have a decent income.
The society can be transformed through education, Freire says that people must know to assess politicians’ decisions before electing them, thus making education essential in the transformation of the society. Social reconstructionists believe that education holds the means of reconstructing society (Eagleton, 2014). This concept is liberal since educating people about the ills in society helps them assess the problem and develop a vision for a better society.
References
Eagleton, T., (2014). Ideology. Routledge.
Freire, P., (2018). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare teach. Routledge.
FreireProject , ( 30 Apr 2012). Paulo Freire Documentary Seeing Through Paulo's Glasses: Political Clarity, Courage, and Humility. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4jPZe-cZgc
