E-Book Overview
In Teaching Toward Freedom, William Ayers proposes a new way of looking at the craft of education: how it can be used in authoritarian ways at the service of the state, the church, or a restrictive existing social order—or, as he envisions it, as a way for students to achieve "their fullest democratic humanity." Using examples from his own classroom experiences as well as from popular culture, film, and novels, Ayers redraws the lines concerning how we teach, why we teach, and what we find when we help students become independent, restless, and engaged learners. This lucid and inspiring book will help teachers at every level to realize that ideal."Five thoughtful essays that examine how teachers need to value their students, challenge themselves, and teach for freedom."—Bob Peterson, Rethinking SchoolsPraise for A Kind and Just Parent:"It is Bill Ayers"s immersion in the lives of [the students] that gives this book its strength and passion and intensity. Vivid narratives are set in context by an author who has studied history and understands the politics of juvenile injustice. I hope this book will reach the ears of Congress."—Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities"William Ayers is as sensitive and gifted a chronicler as he is a teacher."—Studs Terkel, author of Hope Dies Last and Working
E-Book Content
Teaching Toward Freedom
Also by William Ayers
as author A Kind and Just Parent: The Children of Juvenile Court Fugitive Days: A Memoir To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher The Good Preschool Teacher: Six Teachers Reflect on Their Lives On the Side of the Child: Summerhill Revisited Teaching the Personal and the Political: Essays on Hope and Justice Prairie Fire To Become a Teacher: Making a Difference in Children’s Lives
as editor Teacher Lore: Learning from Our Own Experiences A Light in Dark Times: Maxine Greene and the Unfinished Conversation Teaching for Social Justice: A Democracy and Education Reader A Simple Justice: The Challenge of Small Schools Zero Tolerance: Resisting the Drive for Punishment in Our Schools —A Handbook for Parents, Students, Educators, and Citizens City Kids/City Teachers: Reports from the Front Row
Teaching Toward Freedom
moral commitment and ethical action in the classroom
William Ayers
Beacon Press, Boston
beacon press 25 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108-2892 www.beacon.org Beacon Press books are published under the auspices of the unitarian universalist association of congregations. © 2004 by William Ayers All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 07 06 05 04
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This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the uncoated paper ansi/niso specifications for permanence as revised in 1992. Text design by Isaac Tobin Composition by Wilsted and Taylor Publishing Services Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ayers, William, 1944– Teaching toward freedom : moral commitment and ethical action in the classroom / William Ayers. p. cm. ISBN 0-8070-3268-9 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Teaching—Moral and ethical aspects—United States. 2. Teachers—United States. I. Title. LB1775.2.A94 2004 371.102—dc22 2004004645
The world only spins forward. . . . More Life. The Great Work begins. tony kushner Angels in America
Contents Introduction ix 1: Between Heaven and Earth 1 what is teaching for? 2: Turning toward the Student 30 who in the world am i? 3: Building a Republic of Many Voices 67 where is my place in the world? 4: Lifting the Weight of the World 103 what are my choices? 5: Teaching toward Freedom 137 Acknowledgments 163 Credits 167
Introduction
Moral and ethical matters power and punctuate life in schools and in classrooms, from Monday to Friday, from morning till night. Looking for ways to animate the moral heart