“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral” ~Paulo Freire
I think that this quote says a lot about education. As discussed in class, this quote is essentially saying that education is not neutral, as teachers who try to remain neutral are being complacent and siding with the dominant power in the side of a conflict. I find it easier to look at this quote from the flip side, which is to say that education is an inherently political act, and constantly exposes students and teachers to certain ideologies and political leanings.
I believe that this says a few things regarding the teacher. First and foremost it means that no matter what the teacher does (be complacent or take a side in a conflict), they are sending a political message. Secondly, and as a result of the first point, I think that teachers must take care in the message that they pass onto students. I’m not suggesting that teachers should pick and choose which message/ideology they share with students, but rather have a good working knowledge of the various political messages and pass on that knowledge to students, because in the end the choice should be up to the students.
I think that this quote also has a few things to say regarding students. As the quote is saying that education is an inherently political act, the implication is that learning, alongside teaching, involves being political as well. Just as teachers have a responsibility to stay informed, students do as well, otherwise how are they supposed to make an informed decision? I think that the quote applies greatly to students as well in the sense that if they try to remain neutral in a conflict, they are essentially siding with the dominant power.
For me personally, I think that this quote perfectly sums up a major issue with curriculum nowadays (or at least the curriculum that I was exposed to). Throughout my years in public schools, we were always taught that politics had no place in the classroom, and that was the end of the discussion. As I got older, I started getting curious about politics and why something so integral to society was not being taught in school. So I started watching the news, doing research, and even watching the odd Question Period on TV, and I realized that the only thing that students in schools got out of not learning about politics was a certain level of ignorance regarding society. I had always pictured school as a place where intelligent discussions could be had about any topic, and that it was an open place for everyone to share their opinions and learn from each other, but the curriculum really challenged that preconception I had. I know a lot of people think that ignorance is bliss, but I could never really swallow that idea, especially not when my own education was being affected. Between my own research and information from the odd teacher and my family, I stayed very informed, but I witnessed the negative effects of not being informed in the high school I attended. As a result, I am very hesitant when it comes to the curriculum, and this quote perfectly sums that up.
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