Re: friere on friere on
Betsy Brenner (betsy who-is-at edstar.gse.ucsb.EDU)
Tue, 2 Apr 96 17:21:07 PST
We had a similar experience at the University of
California, Santa Barbara when Paulo Freire came
to speak. A group of teachers, professors and students
had spent two months preparing for a dialogue by having
weekly meetings in which we read Paulo Freire's work
and various commentaries on it. A group of us was on
stage with Paulo and we were prepared with questions.
We did ask some questions and they seemed to give direction
to what Paulo said. But once he gained momentum, he
essentially turned the discussion into a monologue. But
I found it absolutely fascinating as did most of the
audience. I've daydreamed through many a famous person's
talk so I think it was more than fame that kept us listening.
Our discussion group continued to meet for at least
a year after that on Saturday mornings to continue
the discussions that his visit had initiated. I think
this shows the power that lectures can have but seldom
achieve. Although Paulo did most of the speaking, I think
that the fact that he spoke in English about issues of
bilingual education was particularly inspiring. At his
request we had a translator on stage but he chose not
to use the translator's help once he began. His use of
our language made me feel freer to struggle with my own
reluctant use of foreign languages in public settings.
Mary Betsy Brenner
Dept of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara