Free Mind Vs. Free Action

I have never thought of myself as one to not speak how I feel. I don’t hide my emotions very well, I consider myself to be passionate about my views and I usually know when the right moment arises for me to share these views. I suppose usually is the key word here, Tuesdays class being a prime example when my passion was challenged.
Dr. Schmidt’s stern talk directed at some of the students in class made me take a look at how I truly feel about education in schools today and re-evaluate myself as a future educator and participator in the class.
Woodford’s first chapter highlights the idea of the freedom of mind. He notes that a free mind empowers students to demonstrate a degree of intelligence or control over an experience. This relates back to the last class discussion because I believe freedom of mind is not always freedom of word. If everyone was to say everything they wanted or felt at any given moment it would be as Woodford puts it “freedom of action” and would result in confusion and disorder.
I’d like to think that I generally participate when I feel it is necessary. I also think it is important for me to sometimes sit back and let all the things going on around me sink in. I know it is important to get angry and frustrated at times in order to get things done and your point across. However, when working with children or in any leadership position one must know when to get angry and when to just listen and take it all in. I suppose I need to work on this aspect of my classroom skills.
In the classroom I believe it is important to be yourself. I feel that an educator should work their hardest to not compromise their own belief system. This is not to say that a well rounded teacher should not be aware and open minded to other belief systems, but rather to be a role model of a strong figure in the community as well as good example to their students of a strong member of a democratic society.
By being a role model for my students, and teaching and talking to them in a way that I feel best demonstrates a strong and intellectual person, as well in a manner that gets through to them best, in turn they will hopefully become better members of their own individual and collective communities and grow into free-minded people themselves.