““Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate
integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and
bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by
which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover
how to participate in the transformation of their world.”
—Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
An election approaches in the midst of pandemic, economic crisis, racial injustice, environmental disasters, and social unrest. I find myself asking: how do we, as adults, help young people make sense of our world? What is the role of school and of education now - in the lives of our children?
Complexity is here. Actually, it’s been here for quite some time. Sadly, we struggle to make progress in addressing essential human needs and rights. Every thorny challenge, when reduced to one issue or interest, is often avoided, argued, or made worse. Tensions escalate. Violence erupts. Political posturing overrides empathy, listening, and civil discourse. Individuals and their actions are met with outrage or applause, so that they might be held up in defense of one point of view or another, or so that they might illuminate or distract from the bigger, underlying issue that is at the core. And in the chaos, some of us lose sight of the pain and suffering, the lived experiences, the rippling implications, and the larger consequences to society. We lose the “big picture” and deep understanding of how individual actions or incidents relate to a much larger context too complex to name. The roots of our problems continue to grow.
What do our children see?
Our children see too many examples of adults behaving badly, with glib, unkind, and ill-informed retorts and arguments grounded in attack rather than reason and evidence. Our hard truth is that we don’t all agree about the truths, and thus, many adults have staked out their corners to merely argue positions. They stop seeking truth, because they have their truth. They stop listening. Children see adults throw up their hands and dismiss problems, or opponents, as intractable; they see adults react with avoidance and dismay, or moral authority, or worse still, contempt.
How’s that working?
For the sake of conversation, let’s look instead to our children for direction. All of us have experienced the child who relentlessly asks “why” questions in a spiraling line of inquiry that, if we are patient, takes us to places where we no longer have easy answers.
A child’s method is an earnest and wise approach to making sense of the world and of testing assumptions we adults may have long forgotten to test. If we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable in exploring the why, to be patient with the ambiguity, to follow the student, to go where there is no single right answer, or where the answer no longer makes sense, we just might make some headway. Young children are unconcerned with ideology. They are observers and actors, far more curious about questions and where they might lead. Adolescents grapple with ideas, and push boundaries -- seeking community with their peers as they test and challenge others. Our job is to engage them at whatever stage, to help them formulate good questions, to explore their provocations, to develop the skills of empathy, inquiry, analysis, and respectful dialogue, and to notice and integrate what works. In other words, in matters of philosophy, humanity and the great questions of our time, our job might be reframed from the responsibility to teach, to the responsibility to help them learn. Whether in circle time, the physics lab, the art room, or the playing field, these opportunities present - and we must be ready.
Educators must be “on the balcony”— now more than ever.
What happens when difficult questions, challenges, and uncomfortable statements emerge from students? Barring bigoted, hateful, or personal attacks, great teachers know students’ search for answers on the “big questions” cannot be reduced to one issue, one argument, or one set of data. We pursue truth in the complex space where our histories, cultures, choices, and values converge, where what we observe and what we know coexist with the possibilities of what we may not know, and what assumptions can be tested. We must look at all of it now, and we must relentlessly ask why - knowing that there will be many answers yielding more questions.
We must try to make sense of where we are with students - not by reducing and narrowing our questions to one answer or one perspective - but instead by widening them to embrace multiple viewpoints, leading us toward a deeper understanding; one that often lies at the intersections. That means allowing diverse perspectives to enter the classroom, with respect and tolerance, and with an open pursuit of inquiry and evidence. That means the educators do the work alongside the student, developing the skills and capacities through modeling, practice, and feedback.
Parents, educators, and schools begin by welcoming questions that begin with “why” and seeking the many perspectives that might inform that exploration. We do this when we invite learners to lead, when we are willing to engage with their hard questions or uncomfortable observations, and when we acknowledge, rather than judge, the natural emotions or wonderings that spur the questions.
We do this with dialogue, structured and informal
We do this with rigorous research and inquiry,
We do this with disciplined and creative work,
We do this in open and respectful conversation that includes everyone in the room,
We do this with care, and in our best moments, we do all of this with love.
Pedagogy and practice are our essential tools.
By designing learning experiences, and then allowing for the questions and challenges that emerge, teachers work with students to find relevance and meaning, and to make sense of the content. The content itself becomes less important, as students are encouraged to explore, probe, create, make, compose, build, perform, and produce what matters - and to produce with excellence.
Because so much learning happens in dialogue and relationships, let’s ensure that foundation is strong. The subject matter or discipline is important context, and as students are invited to explore, with their many perspectives, let’s ask why, let’s listen, let’s see things anew, working through discourse to learn and to find common ground.
So what does it look like to be on the balcony?
To be on the balcony is to is to insist that we, as educators, focus on learning - that we rise above our own perspectives to empower our students as they make sense of our world:
As leaders, educators model the way, inviting these questions and cultivating conversations between and among students of any age to develop them as independent learners, critical thinkers, and respectful citizens.
As facilitators, educators help students explore: to establish perspective and understand context, to seek evidence, explore content and data, analyze different arguments, and construct knowledge.
As compassionate adults, educators honor students as they are: withholding judgment as they raise the bar for scholarship, empathetic listening, and respectful dialogue.
School leaders and educators, let’s get on the balcony. Let’s invest in developing the tools and capacities to help students learn, ask questions, listen respectfully, and make sense of their world. Let’s ensure we create conditions for young people to enter the world better equipped to lead than the leadership they see now. Then we might do what Freire calls us to do: to empower learners “to deal creatively and critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world”.