Teachers who pursue self-actualization create more engaging pedagogy

Evidence

In order to cultivate selfhood in students, teachers must bring to the table their own achieved self-cultivation, their commitment to ongoing growth, and their various practices, styles, and tricks for combatting the many forces that deaden the self and distract us from our task of becoming. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 655 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Progressive, holistic education, “engaged pedagogy” is more demanding than conventional critical or feminist pedagogy. For, unlike these two teaching practices, it emphasizes well being. That means that teachers must be actively committed to a process of self-actualization that promotes their own well being if they are to teach in a manner that empowers students. … In the United States it is rare that anyone talks about teachers in university settings as healers. And it is even more rare to hear anyone suggest that teachers have any responsibility to be self-actualized individuals. — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, 42 (#expands, via linked claim)

With a bidirectional attention on both oneself (in here) and the world around (out there), a teacher can begin to see her situation (Ergas, 2015). A teacher who brings a mindful attention into the classroom will be able to see that she is submerged under all the outer conditions of control and begin to look for ways to emerge—the first step toward liberation (Freire, 1970). When one begins to perceive the reality of the present, one can no longer ascribe to the “fragmented view of reality” from which she was previously operating (Freire, 1970, p. 73). This state is described by Freire (1970) as a reflection from action, and it provides an opportunity “to intervene in reality as it is unveiled,” which comes directly as a result of the development of one’s conscientizaçao, or critical consciousness (p. 109). — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 680 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Including personal experience transforms pedagogy more than radical curriculum alone — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as…, 282; Engaged pedagogy uniquely requires teacher self-actualization before student empowerment — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as…, 42; Accountability-driven evaluation forces teachers into fabricated performances that erode their sense of self — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 675 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Teachers can only cultivate student selfhood through their own self-cultivation #corroborates (0.90) — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 655
• Engaged pedagogy uniquely requires teacher self-actualization before student empowerment #expands (0.85) — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, 42
• Mindful self-awareness is the first step toward a teacher’s liberation from external control #expands (0.82) — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 680
• Accountability-driven evaluation forces teachers into fabricated performances that erode their sense of self #complicates (0.78) — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 675
• Teachers’ own consciousness gaps block culturally relevant pedagogy from actually using critical consciousness. #complicates (0.76) — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 249
• Witnessing a teacher embody their theory inspires students more than written work can #exemplifies (0.74)
• Genuinely engaged teaching exhausts the spirit and demands structural support #complicates (0.72) — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, 402