Empowering Education- Ira Shor

"People are naturally curious. They are born learners. Education can either develop or stille their inclination to ask why and to learn"(12). 

I chose this quote because it's a point that I think we all have seen come up throughout our educations. During class, there are often the same students raising their hands and asking questions, and usually teachers will try to get other students to participate as well, which is fine. However, it become a problem when the more interactive students begin to get pushed to the side so that other students are forced to engage. For example, if student A is always raising their hand at one point during the class the teacher will tell them to stop and let other students get a chance. I find this very problematic because maybe outgoing student A was asking a question or making a connection that could've helped student B better understand the content. It's important that we don't "stille their inclination to ask why and to learn".

"School funding is another political dimension of education, because more money has always been invested in the education of upper-class children and elite collegians than has been spent on students from lower-income homes and in community colleges"(15).

As soon as I read this passage I thought about the recent tracking reading by Oakes and the earlier reading by Kristof, which explains that we tend to end life where we started it. This funding pattern in schools is one of the reasons it's so hard to move up in social standing and better your life. The people in the lower-classes are kept their by oppression and privilege to people who already have it.

"In school and society, the lack of meaningful participation alienates workers, teachers, and students"(20).

Without participation to create a sense of community how are the members of a school society supposed to feel close and trusting of one another? I know that in my elementary school there was constant interaction between classrooms so that we could mix with other students and work our social skills. Whether it was a movie day with hot chocolate or an end of the year barbecue. Participation doesn't even have to be performed on this large of a scale. Small things like getting students into small groups in the classroom help them understand each other and make connections that give them similar qualities. No one should feel like they don't belong when they are with their peers.