Re: emotional bonds/education

Robert Bahruth (rbahruth who-is-at claven.idbsu.edu)
Thu, 12 Feb 1998 11:47:23 +0100

Rachel, I would recommend Teachers As Cultural Workers by Freire once more
(Westview Press 1998). He discusses at length humility and the need for
"patient-impatience" as fundamental to critical pedagogy. I would agree
with you entirely on your comments. If I come across as "in-your-face"
which I know I do at times , as does Giroux,Macedo and others, I think it
is somewhat due to our east coast urban backgrounds (Giroux grew up in the
Smith Hill barrio of Providence Rhode Island and talks about it openly in
the intro to Fugitive Cultures; Macedo grew up in Boston and against all
odds, and I was born in Jersey City and grew up with Bronx, Brooklyn and
Manhatten as my "stomping grounds". I recall Freire criticizing Apple and
McClaren often for their neo-Marxist stance which deconstructed without
offering a solution. They have since evolved to a more balanced approach.
You might look at Apple's ASCD Monograph on Democratic Schools. I'm
struggling with my own "patient-impatience" on a daily basis as I face the
injustices of hegemony at the university where mediocrity is rewarded
because the boat doesn't get rocked. I tend to ask too many embarrassing
questions when uninformed or ill-informed ideas are proposed. I have my
own ideas, but often my colleagues try to filter them through their own
paradigms, where they get distorted. I have found the use of metaphor,
replete in the discourse of Freire, as a way to communicate more
effectively with those who are sincerely interested in change.

Thanks for your comments. This may be more then what you wanted. Let me know.
roberto