As a teacher, are you "free?"

As either a teacher or a teacher advocate, should teachers be "free" to teach for humanity? What would you be willing to do to advance the cause of pedagogical freedom in education?

Maxine Greene was one of the premier philosophers of education during the latter half of the 20th century. As a female intellectual and as a champion of philosophy, literature, and the arts, she advocated for an educational design that prioritizes academic freedom (for both students and teachers); the kind of freedom that validates the subjectivity of each student and teacher; the kind of freedom that inspires independence of mind as expressed in critical/creative thinking and doing; the kind of pedagogical freedom that promotes democratic principles and practices in the classroom, including the cultivation and exercise of what Greene termed social imagination.

“Social imagination is the capacity to invent visions of what should be and what might be in our deficit society, in the streets where we live and our schools. Social imagination not only suggests but also requires that one take action to repair or renew.”
- Maxine Greene: Releasing the Imagination, p. 5.

Philosophically, Maxine Greene was an existentialist thinker who incorporated themes of individual freedom, subjectivity, choice, action, and responsibility in her lectures and in her writing. Of great significance is the fact that Maxine Greene wrote about oppressive educational ideologies and practices that not only existed during her prime years of teaching— the latter half of the 20th century—but that continue to plague the institution of education to this very day: the neoliberal marketplace model of education; prescripted pedagogical practices and rote testing methods based on standardization and objectification of curriculum, teachers, and students; and, certainly, the devaluation of the arts and humanities as teaching subjects (i.e., not designated as testing subjects).

• Note the following paragraph from Maxine Greene’s seminal book, The Dialectic of Freedom, in which she addresses such issues in light of teachers’ subjugated positions working in oppressive school systems. Keep in mind that this book was first published in 1988!

Even those teachers whose projects have been otherwise are constrained by
state action plans and testing mechanisms. The rebellious teacher, the
“reflective practitioner” (Schon, 1983) is asked to tamp down dissonant
conceptions of what education might be and perhaps ought to be in a
chaotic, uncertain time. We do not know how many educators see present
demands and prescriptions as obstacles to their own development, or how
many find it difficult to breathe [my emphasis]. There may be thousands
who, in the absence of support systems, have elected to be silent. Thousands
of others (sometimes without explanation) are leaving the schools. Surpassing,
transcendence, freedom: Such notions are not being articulated in the
conversations now going on. And yet, as will be argued in this book, a teacher
in search of his/her own freedom may be the only kind of teacher who can
arouse young persons to go in search of their own [my emphasis]. It will be
argued as well that children who have been provoked to reach beyond
themselves, to wonder, to imagine, to pose their own questions are the ones
most likely to learn to learn.
Greene, M. (1988). The dialectic of freedom. New York: Teachers College Press.

• The connections that can be made between Greene’s writing in 1988 and this 21st century moment are obvious; as such, indicating that the American institution of education has been held captive by the neoliberal educational agenda for endless decades.
  *Note the following key points from the quoted passage, followed by my additional commentary.
  
  Dehumanization Then (1988) and Now (2020):

• Teachers are constrained by “action plans” and governmental policies coordinated with “testing mechanisms.”
  —Think of the ongoing standardization, technicization, and commodification of curriculum, students, and teachers in the 21st century.

• The “rebellious teacher” / “reflective practitioner” is discouraged [not allowed?] from thinking independently about how and what to teach.
  —In other words, the reflective teacher is muted when it comes to questioning the status quo or from even having their own educational philosophy regarding the purpose and practice of education.

• Teachers may be aware of obstacles to their development, but too often remain silent under the pressure of oppressive policies and the desire to keep their jobs.
  —From the existential perspective, this indicates an inauthentic way of “being,” both as an individual and as a professional. In effect, this kind of silence/lack of resistance indicates a surrender of mind and spirit to a dehumanizing situation. On the other hand, regarding those teachers who support the neoliberal educational model, I suggest that they have been successfully indoctrinated with its ideology via their own schooling experiences; as such, not inclined to question the value of their prior education nor their own pedagogical practices.

• Because of such obstacles and amidst “chaotic, uncertain times,” many teachers may “find it difficult to breathe.”
  —Today, in this very moment of the coronavirus pandemic and organized resistance to racial injustice, we are reminded of our breath as our life force. Covid-19 attacks the lungs mercilessly, making it difficult to breathe; for some, virtually impossible to breathe without the help of a ventilator. George Floyd’s breath, his life force, was taken away from him under the police officer’s knee crushing on his neck. We were left with Floyd’s unforgettable statement, “I can’t breathe.”

• Many teachers have been and continue to leave the American educational system. —Now, amidst pandemic conditions, teachers face monumental challenges relative to health concerns for students, themselves, and their families. Teaching under pandemic conditions necessitates engaging in new and uncertain dynamics that will challenge us all—teachers, students, parents— more than ever.
  
  An Existential Perspective of Humanization Then (1988) and Now (2020):
  - If we have the will to resist the status quo -

• “… a teacher in search of his/her own freedom may be the only kind of teacher who can arouse young persons to go in search of their own.”
  —This quote speaks to the existential stance of the individual teacher. In existential philosophy, the principle of individual freedom is fundamental. In the context of the educational realm, it means that the teacher is an independently thinking subject who can/must choose what and how they will teach. The necessary counterpart of existential freedom is the individual’s acceptance of full responsibility for their choices and actions; that is, acceptance and ownership of the consequences of such choices and actions. This is the existential premise that underscores the individual teacher’s personal and professional responsibility.

• Finally, the authentic teacher is the one most likely to encourage and inspire young people to be authentic learners and independent thinkers themselves.
  —Teachers have the opportunity to be role models of high character and advocates of social justice for their students. When “free” to teach humanistically and authentically, teachers can impact their students’ development as whole learners by exposing them to various ideas and experiences through engagement with literature, interactive dialogues, Socratic (philosophical) seminars, artistic expression and appreciation, scientific discovery, exploration of history, political science, and more.

  - As a teacher, are you free?
  - As a teacher/education advocate, do you believe that teachers are free to teach for humanity?
  - In this time of crisis, public protests, and demands for racial justice, what would you be willing to do to advance the cause of pedagogical freedom and justice in education?

Please see the related Discussion thread that poses the preceding questions.
I would love to know your thoughts!