Peter McLaren’s “Critical
Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts” was a mountain of information for me. I
especially enjoyed the small part about empowerment because one of my biggest
goals as a teacher is to empower my students. According to McLaren, “empowerment
means not only helping students to understand and engage the world around them,
but also enabling them to exercise the kind of courage to change the social
order when necessary” (74). McLaren argues that knowledge needs to reflect
reality but also needs to reflect the daily struggle of people’s lives. Hopefully,
the knowledge we are providing our students in class will extend far beyond the
classroom and into the everyday lives and families of our students. “School knowledge
should help create the conditions productive for student’s self-determination
in the larger society.”
Personally, college has been an
extreme struggle. Throughout my time at Eastern I have fought hard with
depression as well as incredible family changes. Some days it was hard for me
to get up, other days I would read and reread the material and not comprehend
any of it. Most of the time I would show up to class panicked and then fake my
way through the assignment or discussion. This last year I had Dr. Logan for my
American Literature class. I was so excited for the class discussions, lectures
and readings because I love American literature, but sadly my depression and
personal life kept getting in the way. Instead of asking “why” or “how” or
anything silly, Dr. Logan told me to get it together and get it in when I could
(multiple times). This was my first experience being taught in college like I would
like to teach in middle school.
Instead of claiming “late work”
or “too bad” she encouraged me and talked me through it. She asked me what
authors I enjoyed and encouraged me to dig deeper into their lives and relate
it to my own. I was able to dive into Edgar Allan Poe’s work like I had never
before. Through my experiences in her class I learned to keep on trying and not
to give up. If something isn’t “clicking” move on and try something new. I also
learned that feelings can be a great source of inspiration. Many of Emily
Dickenson’s poems meant nothing to me until I read them in my deepest sad
moments. It is strange to see the images,
words, and tone that come to light depending on the mood of the student reading
the piece of literature. Also, I felt like I had someone rooting for me. I
never understood the value of having a teacher root for a student.
At the end of the quarter, I was
overly stressed, confused and ready to quit. In the chaos, I missed the final
in Dr. Logan’s class and did not even realize it. When I checked my e-mail that
afternoon (after realizing I missed the final) I saw an e-mail already from Dr.
Logan. She asked me where I was and noted how hard I had worked that quarter at
keeping up and expanding my own learning within my abilities. Not only did I feel
like I let her down, I felt like a failure because she had given me so many
chances to be great. Instead of saying “too bad” she allowed me to come in and
take the final. For that final, I felt I needed ace it. I wanted to show her
that through her compassion and caring about me as a person as well as a
student, that I could do it.
Long winded story, I know, but I
felt like it was relevant do the empowerment McLaren is talking about. Not only
was Dr. Logan and other teachers like Dr. Torgenson and Dr. McHenrey empowering
their students as students, but they are also recognizing the student as a
person. Thankfully, many of the teachers
at EWU have seen my struggles, helped me through them and encouraged and
empowered me. With their help I have stayed at EWU, I have continued my studies
and working towards my education degree and I have also started to cultivate
the teacher I want to be.
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