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"Those truly committed to liberation must reject the banking concept in its entirety, adopting instead a concept of women and men as conscious beings, and consciousness as consciousness intent upon the world." 

I feel this quote holds true to the idea of eradicating the banking system. I feel that the banking system is only a positive thing for certain subjects and certain learning methods- ONLY if this is followed by students using their critical thinking skills to ensure their full understanding of the material taught. Not so much for younger students, but for older students I think it's really important that teachers don't always see themselves as the authoritative figure who "knows it all". Classes are much more successful, efficient, and worthwhile when the teachers see the students as equals, when they understand that though students may be younger they still have thoughts and ideas that are relevant and intelligent.

"The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsiblle for a process in which all grow."

Reading Pedagogy of The Oppressed is making me question my own status: am I oppressed or oppressor? Could I be neither? Being an American, I think, sets me up as a colonizer/oppressor/privileged person… so I thought, perhaps I might be an ally, joining in solidarity with the oppressed. But that role is questionable too. It could easily (unintentionally) posit the oppressed as "victims" and myself as a kind of "savior." I see this all the time with nonprofit organizations, youth groups, missions projects, etc. What entitles westerners to conceive of themselves as capable of changing the world, one person at a time? I think Friere would tell them that individuals can only change themselves: "Attempting to liberate the oppressed without their reflective participation in the act of liberation is to treat them as objects with must be saved from a burning building" (47). Further, "it is only the oppressed who, by freeing themselves, can free their oppressors" (38). So maybe there's more to be explored in the the "with, not for" (30) concept: the savior/victim mentality is just as oppressive as the oppressed- or oppressor- status. 

This makes me question the notion of "empowerment": What is the act of empowerment? Who can empower? By empowering someone else, are you actually treating them as less than human? 

Table of contents

1. First grade: Special Education class- separated but equal
2. Second to fourth grade: You’re on your own
3. Fifth to eighth grade: I think I get it
4. High school: Graduate and go to college- that’s what I have to do, thanks for telling me

Chapter 4

High School Freshman English class: Uncontrollable

We were “that class” to her: the class that was loud, annoying, a pain, uneducated, ill mannered, and overwhelmingly tiring. And she was “that teacher” to us. She was angry, annoyed, and exhausted. Most importantly she didn’t like us. She looked like she hated her life, her job, and us. She was my 9th grade English teacher and although I was quiet, reserved, and studious to her I was part of “that class.” I was ignored because she had to control the bad students. Which weren’t bad students at all. They were just tired of being enclosed in a building for so many hours of the day, they were tired of being yelled at, they were tired of having teachers that didn’t believe they were smart or capable of doing anything, and they were tired of not getting what they deserved our of the Lynn public school system.

Chapter 1: S.A Elementary School

Chapter 2: U.B Middle School

Chapter 3: E.B High School 

Excerpt: 

I graduated with the largest graduating class from this school. It was a wonderful experience because I, along with many others, seized every opportunity I had. In the school we had a senior café, oriented to provide all of the seniors with all they needed to apply for college or work upon graduation. We had a PIC counselor whose office had an entrance to the café and the TERI (college preparatory) and Access (Financial Aid) counselors whose offices were located inside the café. Down the hall we had the Gear up office, which helped with college access and applications. With the help of these offices I toured many schools and was able to successfully apply to higher education. 

Chapter 1 – Backyard Shenanigans

Chapter 2 – Finding my Voice Through a Trumpet

Chapter 3 – Ms. Sepulveda and Story Telling Contests

Chapter 4 – Finding God and Learning to Question my Beliefs

Chapter 5 – On Breaking a Brick

Chapter 6 – Math Tutoring and High School Culture

Chapter 7 – AP Chemistry and Other Levels of Hell

Chapter 8 – Why are all of My Friends Speaking in Cantonese?

Chapter 9 – For the Love of Math

Chapter 10 – On Embracing a New Culture

Chapter 6 – Math Tutoring and High School Culture

 All you have to do is find the integral of u and the derivative of v and then plug it into the formula. And the integral of u, ex, is just ex, so it's a fairly simple example. Do you see it?  Her eyebrows were furrowed, and the end of her pen was almost completely defaced. She had a nervous habit of gnawing on it. Yeah, I see it. she responded hesitantly.   Excellent! I exclaimed, slapping my thighs with the palms of my hands. In celebration of her understanding, I left the table to pick up our coffees.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Television Schooling- Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, Thomas The Tank Engine, Mary Poppins

 Chapter 2: The First Day of School- Montessori School

Chapter 3: The Big Move to China- Crying in Chinese Local School

Chapter 4: The School Next to the Zoo- Rainbow Bridge International School

Chapter 4: The Carefree Elementary Years- Yew Chung International School

Chapter 5: The Bittersweet Years - Shanghai American School

            A Place Unlike My Own

Chapter 6: Untititled - Bryn Mawr College

A Place Unlike My Own

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chpt1……. A Single Mother’s Push

Chpt2…….Open Your Eyes

Chpt3…….The Bridge

Chpt4…….Impact of high school & PUPP: Challenge Yourself

Chpt5…….College

Chpt6…….The Shift (from the top to the bottom)

Chpt7…….Adjustment

Chpt8…….Keep Moving Forward

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Chapter 3

Impact of High School & PUPP: Challenge yourself

    When I read "History and Culture: Wrestling with the Traditions of American Education", one paragraph really stuck out to me. It read:

“Education is viewed as the equalizing agent in our society, and meritocracy is viewed as the path to achieve that end. According to this belief, anyone who works hard will fare well. However, the ideology of meritocracy has an underlying flaw. It does not take into account the prevalent inequalities in our society (35).”