Our Bucket List

My buddy Freire and I met for coffee this week at the Starbucks and wrote out our own bucket list. For those who are unfamiliar with the 'bucket list' concept, it is a list of experiences and/or lessons that one wants to get out of life before they... kick the bucket! Any further questions should be directed to Morgan Freeman or Jack Nicholson.

Although I wanted to add activities such as sky-diving and mountain climbing, Freire insisted that we strive to become better English students and/or teachers. He completely dominated the list, adding tips and ways to become the ultimate English scholar. We got into a big fight over it. In fact, it got a little rough. He completely bruised me up; he was stronger than I thought. And so, with my black eye, we created this bucket list -- our "English" bucket list.

Bucket List

1. (68,1) End the Narration Sickness -- We have to, as future English teachers, remember not to narrate to our students. In other words, we mustn’t just drill our thoughts of what is "right" into the minds of our learners. There is no right. We must allow room for interaction between teacher and student. "Education is suffering from narration sickness."

2. (69,3) Be More Human -- (I think I'm pretty human, but Freire disagrees) A natural part of being human is the part inside of you that is curious. We all share a wondrous ability to question and study to learn more and to expand our knowledge. It is this gift that we must continue to use in order to become critical thinkers -- as learners and as teachers. "...apart from inquiry, apart from to the praxis, men cannot be truly human."

3. (69,5) Be a Teacher and a Student -- In order for education to exist, there must be a link between teacher and student. In other words, learning can't happen unless there is a common understanding that teachers teach and learn! The same goes for students; they not only learn, but also teach. It is a symbiosis that ensures an effective education system. "Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers AND students."

4. (71,5) Don't Let Ideas Inside -- (I fought Freire on this one, but his fist was persuasive). You can listen to the ideas of your professors; you can remember his thoughts and views; but you can't let those ideas swarm your mind and become YOUR ideas without you knowing. Make your own views. "the objects which surround me are simply accessible to my consciousness, not located within it. I am aware of them, but they are not inside me."

5. (72,2) Burn all English Cook Books -- (Don't worry; we're not talking about food) There is no structured way to teach English. There shouldn't be required texts to read, nor should there be a way to critique interpretation of literature. There is no recipe for teaching an English class. Following a 'teaching standard' puts a cork in learning. "Verbalistic lessons, reading requirements, the methods for evaluating 'knowledge,' the... criteria for promotion: everything in this ready-to-wear approach serves to obviate thinking."

6. (72,4) Communicate -- (this is a depressing bucket list) Communication has built human civilization from the beginning of man. Through this wonder, we have been able to express ideas, invent new technology, and create innovative concepts. This achievement is necessary for any student or teacher. There must be an exchange of thoughts if learning is to take effect. Without communication, there is no foundation for teaching or life itself. "Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning."

7. (73,2) Act on What you Believe -- People who are unheard tend to follow a bad pattern of hiding behind a leader. People feel that if they can relate to a figure's beliefs, then they have taken action. This cannot happen because it serves as a cop-out and causes the oppressed to lose one very important trait -- the will to act. Therefore, we as students, teachers, and people have to stand for our views and support them on our own -- not let someone else do it for us. That way we become active learners/teachers. "...by identifying with charismatic leaders, [the oppressed] come to feel that they themselves are active and effective."

8. (73,5) Be Conscious of Being Conscious -- Whether you're a teacher or a student, you must be completely aware of being alive. That's all. You have to feel the life inside you and understand that this force keeps you alert to new ideas. If you are aware of your living mind, then you can harness it to wrap around new thoughts and concepts. "'Problem-posing' education... epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness... consciousness as consciousness OF consciousness."

9. (76,2) See the Real Reality -- You can't think of reality as a stable, secure state. Reality is constantly changing, and it must be seen as such. Looking at the world as if it were unchanged would be like looking at a lie -- a fantasy. It must be understood that our world is undergoing alterations that should affect our teaching and our learning. They cannot be ignored. "In problem-posing education, people develop their power to perceive critically... they come to see the world not as static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation."

10. (77,3) Face the Challenge -- We can't look at life and think it's destiny. Our lives are not planned out ahead of time and there ARE ways to change our future. There are just a few roadblocks along the way that hinder us from changing things. We should see it as a temptation and a challenge. That way, we pursue our goals and intents in and out of the classroom. "[People] must perceive their state not as fated and unalterable, but merely as limiting -- and therefore challenging."

11. (77,5) Don't Oppress -- (Oh really? Then why isn't there ONE item on this list that I came up with?) As a teacher, student, or human being, there is absolutely NO reason why you should hinder someone else's thought. Oppression of thought and ideas is a crime and is intolerable. "Any situation in which some men prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence."

12. (430,8) Go Sky-Diving -- Thank you Freire.

I think we'll start from the bottom of the list...