What does it mean to be a socially just teacher in a socially unjust world? The above quote brought to my attention the power structure I represent as an educator - which is a double-edge sword. There are the parents, students, community, myself, and unfortunately the district and state - all of these components comprise the multiple dimensions a teacher exists and works in. While we take into effect our understandings of a reflective practice as an educator, and become aware of our own biases, in which ways are we still representing the agenda of the local and state governments/ initiatives. Better yet, how do we remain socially just while still adhering to what may be required for us when working towards a more cohesive and inclusive experience for all families in the classroom? Not only do I have to be mindful of my own agenda towards the students, but also the families. I thought a lot over the course of the year about my own practice as a teacher, but never took into consideration how my occupation impacts families and their experiences, and how outside of my classroom I can still be perpetuating a system of inequalities that's systemic to our country. That's why I appreciated the theory behind the decolonization of education. But what I still wonder, is how do we effectively work with families, the community, and students to re-wire a system that has hindered growth and development, perpetuating systemic inequalities in our country, to change the system?

I really appreciated this quote, and the connections that were made to TIAF and Center of Life; as well as, how it connects to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System's Theory Model. You could see an example of two organizations that applied Freirean concepts to real life situations, and improved the life's of students, levels of community engagement, family life, etc. All of which have a ripple effect on other areas of life and the community - potentially creating more space of active engagement in addressing poverty, education, racism, etc. on a local, state, and national level. It truly invites the open dialogical exchanges Freire describes, promoting empowerment and the ability to address our own unique humanness to discuss and understand each other and the circumstances we've become complacent to.

This reminds me of some of the readings that we did last semester in our Social Foundations and Cultural Diversity course. What it makes me think about are the various screens through which we process information from the world around us; thus, impacting our interactions and experiences with others and our surroundings. Is there a way, that the ecosystems of Brofenbrenner are similar and serve as interconnected screens, and that they are interconnected on levels that impact our thoughts and interactions with others at the various systems? Do these systems create our biases, and by becoming aware of these systems and their impact on us can we alleviate ourselves from the implicit biases we are born into the world with.