The common misconception when it comes to the relationship between an educator and a student is that the former is the authority and the latter is the ruled. Viewing it from a more worldly perspective, similar relationships exist in various aspects of life; such as, government to citizen, employer to employee, father to child – the list goes on. It is a seemingly natural phenomenon that an entity be considered as more powerful and the other submissive to its bidding. In the chapter “Adult Literacy and Popular Libraries” from the book Literacy: Reading the Word the World, this misconception is emphasized through proposition that “educators have to realize that none of them is alone in the world.” p.40
It is true that educators take such authoritarianism to maintain the sense of professionalism and order within the class. It is also utilized as a defensive mechanism to obtain respect from those whom they teach. However, there are times when the purpose of setting such an environment is forgotten and the focus shifts and leans more to the authoritarian setting, rather than educating. According to Freire, “the fact that the educator is not a neutral agent does not mean, necessarily, that he should be a manipulator.” And true enough, a line has to be set where education is treated more as a political matter, rather than manipulative. By political, we mean that there is a democracy present in the setting however it is a controlled democracy where boundaries are present but not necessarily impenetrable.
The act of manipulation inside the educational sphere is considered irresponsible in the part of the educator. In the process, he unknowingly immobilizes the flow of knowledge into a one-sided give and take relationship where the educator provides the knowledge which is then merely taken in by the listeners. Freire refers to this as a matter of not speaking to the students, but speaking with them . Interpreting Freire’s words, he believes that it is important to enable a two-way communication between the educator and the students creating mutualism between them. And in such way, it will be possible to create a political atmosphere in the learning environment.
As educators, it is also of utmost importance that the comprehension and learning capabilities of their listeners are not underestimated. There is a need for a balance in providing and receiving knowledge so as to match the learning curves of those that are educated. However assuming naiveté to the student is inappropriate for that of an educator . It is established that educators are of higher status, but there is a certain level of humility required of them in order to communicate well and become respectable as the educator. This is because “only authoritarian educators deny the solidarity between the act of educating and the act of being educated by those becoming educated” , and in this discussion we are emphasizing the need for a more political one.
References
Freire, P., & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. ABC CLIO.
