Understanding we are Worthy, Capable, Connected, and Called to Adventure for a more Joyful and Resilient Life
This weekend, I had the privilege of presenting a paper on the work of Paulo Freire, and I realized today that Freire helped me understand how to have political hope. Even when everything feels hopeless. I want to tell you about that, but first let me give you important background context from Freire’s life. Freire… Continue reading Paulo Freire on Cultivating Political Hope
This week on my blog, I am sharing some reading and study guides for Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This book helped me better understand oppression and racism. It has also helped me to better understand how I can co-labor with the oppressed to create a world that is more humane for everyone. I… Continue reading Chapter Two: Pedagogy of the Oppressed
I believe that the practice of wonder has the potential to change our life profoundly for the better and that the classroom is one of the best places to practice it. Mrs. Nagel, my fourth grade teacher, was a master of cultivating wonder in the classroom. Wonder and Education At the beginning of the year,… Continue reading The Power of Wonder in the Classroom
This post is about the love we have been looking for. And it starts with a lesson that some middle school students once taught me. Dignity and Respect Middle school students taught me some of the most important things I know about love. Before becoming a college philosophy instructor , I was a middle school… Continue reading The Love We Have Been Looking For
This is my twenty-second year of teaching, and I think I may have finally figured out what I am doing: I'm teaching my students to be maladjusted. Many years ago in my student teaching, I was taking an educational philosophy course. The defining question of this class was “What is the purpose of teaching?” Student… Continue reading Teaching My Students to Be Maladjusted