Pedagogy of the Oppressed

In the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” I learn about characteristic of the oppressed and the oppressor. The oppressed are people who allow other people to control their actions and behaviors. The oppressors are the ones holding people back and telling them how to think and act. In a way a person can be both an oppressor and the oppressed. When you are oppressed you hold yourself back from reaching your full potential. In this way you are stopping yourself from moving past what you have always been told and you stay under the control of someone else. Your mind is telling you that you cannot break free from the oppressor because you don’t know what to do if you did. In a way each student is oppressed. They are told by their parents and other people who surround them what they should think, say, and do. It is impossible for them to break free without help.

This is where a teacher comes in. A teacher is supposed to be the “humanizing pedagogy” and allow the students to break free from oppression and find their own independence. In a language arts class we can encourage students to read new books and to write what is in their heart and their head. We can show the students what it is like to think what they want and to find the ground to step out on their own and stand up against oppression. Teachers are supposed to encourage students to find their own voice and break free of oppression. Together the student and teacher unveil the world and release the writer and reader inside each student. Without someone to show them the way the oppressor will find no way to break free. Who better to teach someone how to break free from oppression but someone who was once oppressed.