While our group discussion touched upon the role of the oppressor and the oppressed in regards to a classroom setting, we also conversed about Freire’s statement that a “real humanist can be identified more by his trust in the people”. It is important for us as educators to understand how experiences in our own respective communities shape our worldview and the same will be true for our students. To understand our students further, it is necessary to understand the communities in which they are operating. While we all agreed that it was important to get to know our students, parents, and the community at large, to what cost should we make these efforts? I want to be realistic about what I can accomplish as a teacher in an urban setting. I know my eagerness to learn and to become acquainted with the community is going to take a great amount of effort and energy, but I also need to understand where to put limitations. The teacher burnout rate is incredibly high, because teachers try to do so much with so little. I think it’s important for teachers to put the efforts into talking to parents and community leaders, but to not exhaust themselves especially if the efforts are one sided and without much reciprocity. Our first priority should be to focus on our students in the classroom and to make sure that we are healthy, emotionally and physically so that we can give our best to our students. What comes outside of our work in the classroom should be taken with stride and patience. It takes a great deal of time and effort to connect with others to build trust and sometimes our efforts will go unappreciated and unnoticed which we have to learn to accept.
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