Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads:
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
As an educator, I have come to learn that it is less about the information you teach and more about the tools you are able to pass on in the process that really matters. Information is everywhere these days, but the tools to access that information, to analyze it and make it useful for your purposes, those are seriously lacking. I am not just speaking about physical tools such as a computer or software, I am speaking about knowledge tools—the kind of tools held in bodies; sensing, analyzing, assessing and acting on ideas.
Early in my academic career, I learned about a book called the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, written in 1967 by a Brazilian educator named Paolo Freire. Pedagogy is a fancy way of speaking about ideas regarding learning and ways of teaching. Paolo Freire described teaching as a way of unlocking the depth of knowledge already existing inside of each person and of treating each student with inherent dignity. He wanted education to be an arena for people to become empowered in their own lives and to have, not only the information but the tools to access what they needed to grow, to change their situations and realize (make real) that human rights statement above.
One of the main things that this method of teaching stressed is that you must, as a person attempting to educate others, come to people where they are in their knowledge journeys.
You must connect with them. Now, this is tricky, and sometimes people think this means knowing everything about the people you will be teaching, but no, this is not the case. This means you must create a place for learning. A contact zone so that you can connect and pass on information and the tools to use that information.
Making a place for learning is really important because you are inviting people to be open to learning, to be a little vulnerable, and to have to struggle with the knowledge and tools to integrate them. As an educator, you hold the bulk of the power to set up the relationship between you and your students. They arrive from all walks of life to this time, set aside from dropping their kids at school in a frenzied rush or rolling out of bed 5 minutes earlier. They arrive with their experiences, stories, losses, hopes and expectations. You must convey to them that this time is worth it – that they are worth this time. It is an exchange of dignity at a moment of vulnerability.
Here are a couple of key pieces to do this:
- 1
Know very well what you bring to the table (knowledge about what you have to offer) and make that clear, as well as what you do not bring to the table (knowledge about what they have to offer).
- 2
Be credible and bring credible materials. Credibility is about giving credit to all the work that goes into building knowledge. Credit yourself for your work to gather the knowledge and tools you bring and credit those from whom you gathered.
- 3
Be overly prepared so that you can adapt. Be 140% ready because often you will use only 40% of your materials.
- 4
Remember that it is your job to provide the learning experience, but it is their job to make it their own. It is really humbling to prepare so much and then to watch someone disengage, but you must honour this. You cannot force learning; it must occur on its own. Sometimes, this means it will take years for a little grain of what you made available to take root, and it will be beyond you. At the same time, sometimes you see the connection in the moment and the fire behind a person’s eyes when they realize what they have. This is the true joy of education.
In conclusion, the art and practices of education that really catalyze the ability for people to live dignified lives, to empower and heal; this is what I celebrate. As the much-remembered Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair said, “Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out.” Education creates powerful moments, and educators have the heavy responsibility to use those moments to build people up, to give them the tools they need to build upon their own dignified knowledge(s).