HOW OUR STUDENTS DESCRIBE OUR PROGRAM
FROM FORMER LEARNER
When I read the program description for
Persistence, I knew it was the program that I wanted to take.
Having
attended the academic fair and talked with students taking last year's
program,
I knew it was the program of my dreams. But, I thought it was all
too good to be true. Every couple of weeks I'd log onto the last year's
program
website, reviewing the information provided there. The
information didn't change, so I starting planning what I'd study.
During the summer months, I carefully plotted all the academic
knowledge that I should cram into my head in the next year.
However, my strategic plan of study began to unravel the moment I
walked into the Cedar Room on the first day of class.
The aroma of the wood surrounded me, enveloping me in memories of my
last week of summer. I'd travelled to New Denver, British
Columbia in order to live in cedar domes, while creating culinary
delights for ten women on a Yoga retreat. While there, I also
found time to luxuriate in saunas, hot tubs, long lake walks, and
scenic mountain voyages (spotting much flora and fauna). The week
before the Yoga retreat, I'd helped straighten and roof a shed for a
wheelwright in Northern Idaho. Suddenly, I realized that I didn't want
to be in class. After the past two weeks of creative activity employing
multiple intelligences; I wanted to be out doing, being, living.
I expected my three professors to walk in, hand out a syllabus, and
drill me with all their expectations for the coming year. In
other words, I expected there to be a grid of strings, restricting
acedemic movement within certain areas. Essentially, I expected
that my summer "syllabus", which drew primarily from my logical and
linguistic intelligences (standard acedemic fare), would be the typical
style of study expected. Instead, I was shocked to find that this
wasn't so. I learned that I had total freedom. I left the second day of
class inspired to develop a new plan of study, one that would be
deeper, incorporating my multiple intelligences.
My first three weeks followed a cycle. I'd think of a brilliant
possiblity of study, I'd research it, and then my enthusiasm would
fizzle out. I couldn't imagine spending a whole year studying it. Then,
another idea would pop into my head, and I'd repeat the process.
Massage, human resources, counseling, cooking, writing, dancing,
researching world mythology, and reading women's literature were just a
few of the topics I obsessed on then disgarded. I had so
many thoughts of what I could do. I explored these ideas on the
internet and at the library--looking through books, tapes, movies,
magazines, newspapers, and websites. I participated in many
inspiring discusssions in class, on the bus, in the library, through
email, and over the phone.
The world was my classroom, and my head was spinning with ideas. And
yet, in that third week, while my boyfriend had a 100 pages of notes,
assignments, and calculations I had nothing concrete. I seemingly had
nothing. Aside from a few concrete webx responses, all I had were
unrecorded conversations, untracked books, and unprovable
research. I panicked. What had I been doing? Had I become paralyzed by
the possibilities? What had I been thinking? How was I going to prove
to my professors that I had been learning, studying, growing?
I felt overwhelmed, my academic history the antithesis of the freedom
inherent in the Persistence program. I went to a highschool that was
based
upon a medieval curriculum structure (trivium and quadrivium).
All academic studies were intensely rigorous, and intensely
monitored. My studies at the University of Idaho were easier yet
still contained the same structure of student-teacher interaction and
expectations--likewise, my two quarters spent at Whatcom Community
College. I had choosen Persistence because of it's freedom. But
now,
that very freedom felt too free.
I felt I needed structure. Thus, the weekend before week four, I sat
down and once again asked myself the four questions I'd been repeating
to myself over and over and over: (1)What do I want to learn? (2)How do
I want to learn it? (3)What do I plan to do with what I learn? and
(4)What difference will this make? Only this time, I wrote out a
tentative plan for my quarter. Once I had something down, I
started to calm. I started to realize that all that research had paid
off, that somehow in the process of all the chaos I'd figured out what
I wanted to do. Essentially, I want to live out a multiple intelligence
education. In the next year, I hope to employ as many
intelligences as possible.
Thus, here it is, the first of my many revised and tentative plans:
Persistence-Fall
Educating the Mind, Body, and Spirit
(Employing Multiple Intelligences in the World)
Literature of Persistence: 4 credits
Writing/Personal Exploratory: 4 credits
Individual Project Work: 8 credits
Writing
Response papers: Week 5, Week 7, Week 8
Website (blog) interaction
Research (practice?) on how to write Evaluations
As this is my first quarter at Evergreen, this aspect of my studies is
primarily structured to prepare me for the evaluation process. My
response papers will draw either from ideas I encounter from my
reading, from the website (blog), from the learning tool prompts, or
from
requests by you. Applying myself in this area will give me the
necessary practice to confidently complete my evaluations.
Literature
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire-0826412769
Intelligence Reframed by Martin Gardner-0465026117
A People's History of the U S by Howard Zinn- 0060528370
The Art of Changing the Brain by James E. Zull-1579220541
Native American Testimony-Peter Nabokov- 0140281592
Teaching to Transgress by Bell Hooks-0415908086
Choice Theory by William Glasser- 0060930144
Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith-1856496244
Natives and Academics by Devon Mihesuah- 0803282435
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Steven C. Hayes-1572309555
Methodology of the Oppressed by Chela Sandoval-0816627371
This is a valuable body of literature. Through encountering the ideas
within these books, I hope to learn more education, choice, and
freedom. This knowledge base will then propel me, allowing me to
directly apply this knowledge in my next two quarters.
Individual Project Work
1. Yoga: 1-2x/wk
2. Aerobic/Strength/Stretch Exercise: 3-5x/wk
3. Meditation:
-Exposing myself to various religious/philosophical
viewpoints on reality/life/being (derived from I Ching, Bible (NIV),
Bhagvagita,
Astrology, etc.)
-Attending 2-day Yoga Meditation seminar in Seattle
mid-November
4. Volunteer: Conversation partner
I've applied to be an EF Conversation partner. I'm
waiting for a response. If this falls through, I'll look into
non-profit agencies.
5. Travel:
-San Fransisco: Kasey Chambers concert, tour of
city/museums, meeting a newborn (exploration of the experience of
motherhood)
6. Counseling:
-I will be seeing a counselor every week for
cognitive strategies in improving life/emotional conditions.
7. Nutrition/Cooking
-Continued research and practice in cooking,
nutritional values, healthy diets, etc.
Through my individual project work, I hope to suppliment my academic
work, making it more applicable to the intelligences of my mind, body,
and spirit. Typically, when I am in school I sacrifice my body for my
mind. Essentially, I am more unhappy and unhealthy. I tend to have more
migraines, and more colds. Through my project work (which
strongly ties in with my kinesthetic, interpersonal, and existential
intelligences) I hope to live a more balanced lifestyle. This
balance will be the foundation on which I hope to build on in the next
two quarters.
Tentative Winter quarter plans:
-Read remaining Persistence books: The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary
Zukav, Ceremony by Silko, Broad and Alien is the World by Ciro Alegria
(travellers toPeru),Genocide of the Mind by Marijo
Moore
-Read additional books on mythology, religion, gender, and sexuality
-Learn Dreamweaver in order to build a webpage for my winter and spring
experiences
-Travel to Portland.
-Possibly attend the Art of Living course, a six day
meditation/yoga/spiritual training
-Start developing some photography techniques
-Enroll in a dance class (Orissi, or other)
Tentative Spring quarter plans:
-Travel in Hawaii: visit each island, experience my cultural heritage
-Native Hawaiian studies: history, mythology, and language
-Learn hula: two halau's are a possiblity, or study with sister-in-law
-Practice photography
-Continue website
-Help plan and facilitate a Yoga retreat in Hawaii (with Yoga
instructor worked with in New Denver)
RETURN
Mostly Freire, a little Buddha
by jesse m
I.
Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a handbook for revolution.
Freire analyzes oppression and the steps that occur in the transition
to a more egalitarian situation. The book is dense and juicy, no words
used unnecessarily, which makes the reading slow but rewarding. I feel
like I could read it ten more times and get something new each time.
The below is what seemed important to me on this first journey through
Freire. The oppressor is living a lie. He is not free because his
existance is materialistic--to him, "to be is to have," and in his
eyes, everything is an object, something to be taken and used for his
benefit. The oppressor exists only through his possessions, and thus he
has no authentic existance. Since possessions know no love, he
experiences no love. Since the oppressor is obviously suffering within
his suffocating cage of materialism, it becomes clear that revolution
is actually an act of love for the oppressor as well as the oppressed.
But before revolution can occur, we must understand the plight of the
oppressed. After a person is constantly treated as worthless and
stupid, he begins to believe it. When oppression becomes a person's
reality, then the oppression becomes internalized within, and she
begins to buy into the lie that she is intrinsically less valuable than
the oppressor. Once people believe in the oppressive system, they begin
to enforce the system on each other, taking on the role of
sub-oppressor. "Submerged in reality...and chafing under the
restrictions of this order, they often manifest a type of horizontal
violence, striking out at their own comrades for the pettiest reasons."
People who are deeply submerged in a system of oppression often long to
become oppressors themselves, seeing this as the path out of their own
oppression. The Internalization of oppression keeps the oppressive
cycle going. People who have internalized oppression cannot work for
liberation because they do not recognize the oppressor as seperate from
themselves and they are afraid of freedom. Before change can occur, the
oppressed must realise that they are oppressed. Thus, revolutionary
leaders must bust out the pedagogy, also known as mad dialogue about
the existential situation of the oppressed folks. Carrying out this
dialogue requires faith in the oppressed. Without this faith, it the
would-be leader will fall into monologue, addressing the people as
objects, which would accomplish nothing but more dehumanization of the
oppressed. In order to understand why open authentic dialogue is so
essential to the process of liberation, we must analyze traditional
educational methodology. The traditional teacher-student relationship
denies the humanity of all involved parties. Students are treated as
receptacles for information and the teacher's role is fill them with
knowledge. Reality is presented to the students as a cold, motionless
set of facts. In Freire's words, "Education thus becomes an act of
depositing...in stead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques
and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and
repeat. This the 'banking' concept of education..." This system is
based on the assumption that the students are completely ignorant; this
projection of absolute ignorance onto the masses is a recurring theme
within systems of oppression and is used by the oppressors to justify
their domination. Besides the oppression inherent in the banking method
of teaching, the presented facts themselves are often propaganda which
deny the reality of the oppressed students. An example of this in the
present would be a white professor teaching black kids about African
History from a Eurocentric perspective and then discounting their
opinions. Revolutionary thought does not develop in a classroom where
the oppressor's ideas are taught--it develops from the bottom up,
through the oppressed discussing their existential situation. Thus,
liberated education is free from hierarchy; it is people communicating
with each other on a common plane. Liberated education occurs when the
teachers and students step back from their distinct roles and realise
that both parties will learn and grow through the dialogical process of
education; for this to happen, the teacher must have faith in the
students and their ability. Liberated Education, by posing problems in
a context of reality, leads to cognition and critical thinking--not
just the transfer of facts and the banking perspective of a motionless,
disconnected reality, which further alienates the students. In
revolutionary work, the idea of "winning people over" for the cause of
the revolution is fundamentally flawed because authentic revolutionary
work begins by identifying the needs of the people, and "winning people
over" means telling people what they need. Since many revolutionary
leaders come from a background in the dominating class and have been
educated with banking methods, it is all too easy for them to fall back
into banking-style dictation, which will, if anything, work against
their purposes. This is a crucial point. Revolutionary leaders must be
aware of this.
"The People must be authors of their own liberation;" revolutionary
leaders cannot carry out the revolution for them, making them objects,
continuing the oppression. Only thorugh dialogue comes education, and
thus a transformation of reality--revolution.
II. connections
I read Osho's book Courage: the Joy of Living Dangerously at the same
time that I was reading Pedagogy of thed Oppressed and this led me to
start thinking about connections between Freire's ideas and Eastern
philosophy. The first time this occured to me was when I relised that
Freire says "revolution is love" and Osho says "love is revolution."
(Those aren't necessarily direct quotes.) Courage is a necessity for
liberating pedagogy: you have to have courage to break out of the cold,
suffocating banking system. It takes courage to open yourself to
another and communicate as two humans. There are some other basic
connections:
In both Freire's philosophy and Buddhism, no one can liberate anyone
but himself. Freire makes it clear that an effort to liberate someone
else will actually just objectify that person; real liberation occurs
through
solidarity--and each person must realise the need for liberation and
work to make it happen. In Buddhism, you must look at your own mind in
order to reach peace; no one else is in your head so no one else can do
it. Osho writes about the importence of not letting prayer become a
monoluge, a meaningless repetition of words: "Religions, organized
churches, have destroyed prayer. They have given you ready-made
prayers. Prayer is a
spontaneous feeling...Bring love into prayer. It is a beautiful thing,
a dialogue with the universe..." This is straight-up Freire, it seems
to me--institutions have removed the authenticity of our existance, and
through dialogue we can reclaim this joy. A final connection is that
Freire says that dialogue can't happen without
love, humility, hope and faith in human kind. This strikes me as
Buddhism's loving kindness, a means for transforming reality.
III. reflection
Learning about "liberating education" and systems of oppression through
Freire's work has been extremely rewarding for me. I now have language
to describe the emotions and thoughts that I could never put into
words. In high school, for example, I knew that something was horribly
wrong with the system, but since I couldn't complete my thoughts, I
half believed that maybe I was the problem...maybe I had some attention
defecit disorder, or maybe I was just stupid. The truth was, I was a
victim of an oppressive system. (An important note: I as a white male
was, comparatively, one of the least victimized people in that
incredibly racist, classist, and sexist environment.)
This class was tough for me to adjust to, especially at the beginning.
Now I don't blame myself so much for my frustrations; I realise that I
am coming out of thirteen years of indoctrination--the dark, cold world
of passive mindless loveless "education." Of course it takes some time
to reclaim my humanity and realise that I can learn without a teacher
ordering me around. At the beginning of the year, I was angry--how can
these so-called teachers not tell us what to do!? Funny that, because I
was not used to being treated respsectfully by teachers, I mistook it
at first for disrespect. I know that someday soon I will likely be back
in a classroom that is somewhat more "banking"-oriented. Now, though, I
fell like I will be better able to deal with the system...more able to
retain my humanity. I have a better understanding now of why I am at
school. I realise now that I am pursuing this education for myself, not
to impress some teacher, and I will never again waste my time
satisfying requirements when the work does not inspire passion in
me. The other big thing I got out of Freire was a better
understanding of the politics of oppression...both in my own daily life
and on the larger level of society. With a basic understanding of how
oppression works and perpetuates, I feel comfortable enough now to
begin exploring issues of racism and sexism, which obviously involves
sometimes-uncomfortable introspection--something that I was afraid to
deal with before now.
RETURN
A Program Description
(Recognition program, Patience program)
michaeLg - 09:51am Apr 4, 2004
Hi everyone! I am simply transcribing my notes from class on Thursday
and adding my own thoughts to what was said. I hope it sounds right and
if it does not please forgive my poor interpretation of what I heard. –
Mike G
PS- I very much dislike the term "Program", can we say experience
instead?
Recognition to Patience:
Recognition is different things to different members of the community
of learners who sign up for the class. It is based on Frierian
relationships meaning, you learn what you want/need or are called upon
to learn on your own and make your own interpretation! In this respect
everyone including faculty are learner-teachers. This deconstructs the
typical teacher-student relationship. The faculty in Recognition do not
lead participants in learning and are not there to tell you what to do
or how to do it but they may suggest places to begin, continue or
finish your quest for learning when asked. They are always learning
along with you. Some of the participants in Recognition/Patience are
there to attend every class, they share in dialogue and query each
other and the faculty. Other learner-teachers do not like class-room
scenarios and want to go about their process on their own,
un-interrupted by class-room dynamics. Both types of participants find
a welcome place in Recognition/Patience as well as those in-between.
Whatever your motivation for joining the experience it begins with the
invitation to join the community and create your own structure. Your
academic life is your own responsibility so don’t expect to be told
what to do. Attendance is an invitation you come or go as you like.
This enables some to pursue learning at other institutions as well as
Evergreen and still stay in Evergreen!
Topics of dialogue in the class range from Western Science/Culture to
Native American and other Traditional Technologies/Culture; a huge
field. There may be 5 different conversations going on at the same time
and people will drift in and out of the circles of dialogue as they
like. All are welcome and all are accepted. One of the most important
things we learn in this experience is how to be good listeners. The
development of listening skills enables us to be comfortable with very
different people and very different knowledge. This comfort is based on
self-acceptance and helps us on our journey into community connection
with other learner-teachers that makes our life more exciting through
communal learning/growth. Again, the faculty is there to support your
independent search for knowledge and do so in a non-judgmental way
often responding with "that sounds great". The whole pace of learning
in this experience is different as the emphasis is made on the
development of relationship and making time to connect with others
learning and each other. In real-life this equates to a systems-theory
approach to your entire experience at Evergreen!
Each year you are offered a list of reading that may be used to
construct a skeleton for continued exploration. One of the great points
of the experience offered is that one has time to process information,
follow hunches and intuition and to make connections to pre-existing
learning. This is the way to deep knowledge about any subject! The
invitation to gather is here. Feel free to bring your learning back to
the class to share or not. As the class is based on invitation the
process is a ceremony and participants will get a feel for this when
they choose to attend. We must remember that all of our Western Science
and Technology, while it has brought us much, has not kept our air,
water and land clean, nor kept our elders honored nor kept our youth
from violence and addiction. The basis for this lies in a thought
pattern/structure. In Recognition/Patience you are offered the
opportunity to re-align your thought process at a foundation level that
will allow "change to take hold and drive", it is emotional, exciting
and even spiritual for some! We learn to take care of the future by
taking care of NOW!
Self-worth, dedication, humility, compassion, self-control and
awareness of the moment are pillars of the experience in
Recognition/Patience. "This program has made me more grateful and
thankful for everyone of my days then I have ever been before. I have
learned to take care of myself and my relationships and gained
experience through wandering …"
RETURN
Respect Course Evaluation
Juanita T
School Year – 2002-2003
True education is never static; it moves and expands
to every part of a person’s life, involving every facet of a person’s
character in change. The freedom to choose books, interest, and to be
supported by classmates and instructors in personal growth, as
knowledge and experience develop conflict, was sometimes hard, but
always exciting.
Starting a study with a list of books to read
brought Evergreen College’s active method of learning into reality and
was a good way to start a new program. Reading Pedagogy of the
Oppressed (Freire, Paulo (2002) Contnuum International Publishing
Group, NY) brought with it a confidence and opened a pathway leading to
a freedom in learning that allowed the experience of learning to mean
as much as the academic study. Intelligence Reframed Gardner, Howard
(1999) Basic Books) routed out and defined unknown talent. The
Dancing Wu Li Masters (Zukav, Gary (1979) William Morrow & Company,
NY) opened the mind to new ideas, allowing the enchantment of things
never imagined to be thought about and pondered; opening up the
imagination. Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United
States” (2003, HarperCollins) opened up a view of history not thought
about and brought a critical attitude toward the indoctrination of
others by those in power. Enothography, A way of seeing (Wolcott, Harry
F (1999) ALTAMIRA PRESS, Walnut Creek, CA) placed a critical eye on how
one understands and writes about another culture. Sunday Native
American studies added to their reality as stories were told about
generational hardship and the ability to survive. Dancing with
knowledge and the experience of learning accessed a reality only known
by those who dare to be truly educated.
The liberty to choose an area of study was and is
important to be able to develop a life style, which embraces learning
as it treasures the freedom to do so. Volunteering to work
at the Department of Corrections in presenting a Leadership and
communications program allowed a world of accepted oppression to be
seen and experienced. To read about oppression and to be able to
interact with compassion and empathy toward men who experience it every
day are different aspects of learning, which together allow the mind,
emotions and physical acts of compassion to work together. The
heart-felt appreciation of the inmates is overwelheming and motivates
the compassion of the volunteer to try to connect in a way that makes a
difference; sometimes it is just being there, as many of the inmates
have no connection to the reality of the outside.
Interaction with the hurt and pain of others demands
movement toward lessening of the destructive influence. The belief that
knowledge builds paths that lead toward freedom and away from defeat
guided the reading of books to be able to answer questions and build
trust. Sixty-six percent of all inmates at Stafford Creek Corrections
Center have committed a sexual crime. Obtaining knowledge from books
allowed a connection to take place that nurtured understanding and
healing. Reading How to Work with Sex offenders (Flora, Rudy, LCSW,
ACSW, (2001) Haworth Clinical Practice Press, and Binghamton, NY)
taught basics for those who work for Criminal Justice, Human Service,
and the Mental Health professions. It defined the crime, the agencies
involved, the role of the therapist and standards in treatment.
Understanding Child Molesters (Leberg, Eric, (1997) SAGE Publications,
Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA) informed of the psychology of manipulation,
principles for relating to the offender, and community based custody.
Treating Child Sex Offenders and Victims (Salter, Anna C. (1998) SAGE
Publications, Newbury Park, CA) make a distinction between offender,
victim, spouse, family therapy and issues. Attending interactive
seminars provided for the human service worker included: DOC Employment
Security workshop, Eleventh Annual Children’s Justice Conference, and
Counseling victims of Sexual Trauma, and opened up understanding to
conclude treatment of the offender and the safety of children is a
community problem that needs a community solution.
No interest in the aspects of community is complete without
experiencing the making of a community. The strong ties that were
forged when lives are shared and diversity of interests celebrated
opens up the soul to the need for the support of one for the other and
builds a safety net that allows risks to be taken. To watch the Native
American women talk and laugh, of things in common, gave the courage to
put one’s self out there and connect with others. The Native American
ceremonies of healing, cleansing and celebration echoed in the hearts
of many who participated and the characteristics of community made
their connection in the soul.
Communication of ideas, information and the needs of humanity demands
participation in computer technologies. Building Web pages, using
PowerPoint and the web to gain research information are today as much a
part of education as reading books. The encouragement and guidance of
the instructors to use varies technologies gave the class more
opportunities to display talent and was informative and exciting to
watch.
Does not education in its most profound sense involve knowledge,
interaction with others and personal change and growth? Does it not
contain the confidence to deal with life on its terms? To take risks?
If this is the case, this year at evergreen has been a year of
education surpassed by none.
RETURN