"Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning. The teacher's thinking is authenticated only by the authenticity of the students' thinking. The teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in communication. If it is true that thought has meaning only when generated by action upon the world, the subordination of students to teachers becomes impossible."
I noticed that throughout the Freire readings, he writes a lot about allowing students to think and understand for themselves - to challenge authority - and that it is the teacher's role to help students realize they do not have to be "filled up w/ knowledge" but can be an active member in the creation of knowledge and their own understanding.
This quote above from about half-way through the text really spoke to me. I have noticed a difference in my way of teaching to my cooperating teacher's in that I tend to ask a lot more questions of the students and try to engage their thinking a bit more. He may do more of it when I am not in the room, but my goals are not only to get them students to read the material and answer questions, but to try and get them to make connections between chapters and ask questions.
This Freire chapters have been dense and difficult to understand at times, but I really enjoy how they have helped me to think more openly about my discussions within the classrooms and trying to allow the students to question and not be vessels filled up with my knowledge.
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