Blog 3: Critical Pedagogy and Diverse Class

“They offered to us a legacy of liberatory pedagogy that demanded active resistance and rebellion against sexism and racism” (hooks 2).

Though applied to feminism, this quote expands beyond that and reaches all forms of active pedagogy. The key words that stick out in this quote are “liberatory pedagogy.” Education should be freeing; education should uncover truths so that students can explore the world. Yet education barely means this by today’s standards. We are falling back into the modes of traditional education where the teacher imparts information and the students listen and “learn” silently. But hooks offers a better way to look at education, through active resistance and rebellion. Any student who feels that they are not receiving the education they deserve, without limits and boundaries, without all of the information, with a narrowed view of the world, should speak out and defend what education truly should be: freeing.


“When we acknowledge that we do not know everything, that we do not have all the answers, we risk students leaving our classrooms and telling others that we are not prepared. It is important to make it clear to students that we are prepared and that the willingness to be open and honest about what we do not know is a gesture of respect for them” (hooks 9).

This has been an ongoing issue in education. How much do we let our students know about the knowledge that we have to offer? If I were to teach a lesson on a concept that I was a bit shaky on, I feel that I would be one to let my students know that it isn’t my strong suit, even if I run the risk of appearing “unprepared.” This idea falls in line with what hooks is talking about; it shows that I would respect my students enough to be completely honest with them. Also, having open honesty with students makes education less of a teacher-as-ruler and students-as-subjects form of learning and more of a humanistic form of learning. Students aren’t going to learn everything, and they can digest that better knowing that their teacher hasn’t learned everything as well.


“Though most adolescents who come out do so in high school, sex researchers and counselors say that middle-school students are increasingly coming out to friends or family or to an adult in school” (Denizet-Lewis 2).

In today’s society, students are coming out about their sexual orientation at much younger ages than before. It used to be that if a student realized that he or she was homosexual, that it wouldn’t come out until later years in high school or even college. This being said, it wasn’t much of an issue for teachers who would have to deal with bullying and harassment. Now it seems that this a crucial issue that teachers must work with on a daily basis. Not only do teachers have to teach their curriculum, but they must work to change what our society has deemed as the “social norms” so as to make the classroom a comfortable environment for all students. This requires looking at your own beliefs and the beliefs of your students and their families. But what happens when a teacher looks at himself or herself and realizes that they aren’t an open and accepting individual, that he or she hasn’t accepted homosexuality as a norm? All of the readings suggest that teachers need to be open, but if this social bias exists—and it does—then isn’t it most likely that some of these narrow minded individuals are teachers?


“Queer theory offers educators a lens through which educators can transform their praxis so as to explore and celebrate the tensions and new understandings created by teaching new ways of seeing the world” (Meyer 15).

This quote follows closely with the questions I have posed from the previous quote explanation. Queer theory is fairly new, and I totally see its point in attempting to transform ways of thinking. As a future teacher, I am constantly thinking of new ways I can teach and how it will relate to a larger purpose. A curriculum is a failed curriculum if it only manages to stay within the walls of the classroom. The curriculum needs to be related to every student’s lives, and with the ever expanding diversity of students, this means more ways to expand the curriculum. If teachers fail to make this connection, students who do not feel accepted will further feel rejected and spite school.


“Educational structures wield extraordinary ideological power due to their role in teaching what the culture has deemed as important and valuable to future generations” (Meyer 21-2).

This statement is true, and doesn’t even seem that bad, but the problem with this statement is what our culture has deemed as valuable to our students. New theories have popped up over the years, but the one that seems to stick from generation to generation is the traditional teaching of basic skills and core subjects without personal inferences. In order to fix our educational structures, we have to fix what our culture considers important. In today’s society, we are biased, racist, sexist, and a combination of things that will negatively impact our students. Beyond the basic educational skills, our students learn how to form stereotypes and harsh opinions of their fellow classmates. As teachers, we need to bring positive aspects of the world into our classroom, bring in diversity, and show our students how to open up their minds and be better, more accepting learners.


“Over time, subjects in the high school have acquired dubious gender association; some are ‘masculine,’ other are ‘feminine.’ In reality, math, auto shop, and science are not mal domains; nor are literature, home economics, and music the province of females. Yet in the unreality of the school environment, this has become the case” (Unks 324).

This is so true. Because certain subjects have gotten the rap for being masculine and feminine, males and females often stick to the subjects that are deemed appropriate for them. This sounds ridiculous, especially because everyone knows what their own interests are, but it continues to happen in schools today. The problem is difficult to fix, though. Males stick to auto shop and not home economics or music (and this is only one reason, not always the case) because they don’t want to hear the jeers of “that’s so gay,” a common phrase used by adolescents and adults alike. The term “gay” has come to replace terms like “stupid, dumb, or not cool,” but has a harsher connotation. Heterosexuals don’t want to be referred to as gay, and homosexuals don’t like hearing the term slandered. It seems that what really needs to be taught is mutual respect among all students, that way students don’t have to feel hindered by choosing class electives and can freely express their interests.