Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Example for Free

Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Antonia Darder presents a portrait of why Freire’s work as an educator was so influential in creating an understanding of education as an art. Teaching truly became an art when educators like Freire began to understand the importance of education in the movement of social change. The presence of love in the classroom, the type of love that is lively, forceful, challenging, and inspiring was the type of love that Darder thought was a lasting influence that Freire had on the field. She emphasized the conviction that Freire held in liberating students through education, he believed in the humanizing aspects of education. Freire believed that education was the tool for contributing to the human-ness of our political and economic existence as social beings. The article says that, â€Å"Freire exposed how even well-meaning teachers, through their lack of critical moral leadership, actually participate in disabling the heart, minds, and bodies of their students –an act that disconnects these students from the personal and social motivation required to transform their world and themselves† (498). The author argues that his greatest contribution to the field of education was his ability to be compassionate and his regard and concern for his students. The articles that we read this week discuss the concept of fear, but more importantly the ability to overcome and use the fear as a powerful force in the classroom. He said that it is the fear of freedom that affects the educator and creates a barrier in the classroom from the liberating practices that many educators believe are important. The way he describes the fear of freedom is the fear of being free from the status quo, the fear of the oppressed classes to realize a freedom from the oppressing classes. Freire thought that the experience of fear was a symbolic fight against the struggle that the liberating educators believe in. Freire said the experience of fear was important because it is a chance to recognize where the fear comes from, what it means, and how it can be used. He said that fear can be transformed into courage; the courage to make a move away from the status quo, our fear can be harnessed into a motivation. Teachers are affected personally by the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; the dominant ideology has such an influence over the subordinate classes that it affects educators because of the fear that they hold within. Freire’s experiences with oppression developed his political purpose, he wanted to create a liberatory practice to challenge the conditions that limit the capacity in the oppressed class to change the world and right the wrongs of social injustice. Freire hoped that educators would confront their fears and use their beliefs about the social structure to teach liberating lessons and influence the future. He thought the way for educators to teach the lessons in which they believed in was to work together, he believed in the power of solidarity to empower a political movement. Freire wanted educators to network and work with one another to emancipate students from the social inequalities of our time, through networking they could empower one another and give force to their beliefs. Darder introduces the term praxis – she describes it as the union of action and reflection. The teacher needs to have the ability to practice both of these aspects of education; only through action and reflection of the importance of the act of teaching will the ideas of critical pedagogy be realized. Reflection: This article made me feel a little better about the issues that we have been reading about throughout this course. The tone of most of the readings thus far has been negative and has made me feel pessimistic about the future of the educational system. The issues that our reading assignments have discussed seem to run so deep in our social consciousness that there is little hope in reversing the trends of social inequality. This fear makes becoming a teacher seem dismal; if all we have to hold onto on our road to teaching is the notion that the patterns of inequality are getting worse and the elites are becoming more powerful how are we as teachers supposed to do anything at all to help our students and ourselves. I enjoyed this weeks reading selections because it brought a defining focus upon the fear that teachers experience and gave a bit of advice on how to use the fear as a powerful force. I believe that the fear that Freire spoke of is one that is shared by many educators. It is a fear that does not diminish with time or experience, on the contrary, it eats at you as you plan your lessons, as you teach your students, and it goes home with you and stays with you outside of the classroom. Freire’s thoughts on the ability of the educator to channel the fear of being fired or being targeted as a radical into a powerful force was inspiring. It was great how he took something negative and turned it into a tool that can be used in a positive way, he encouraged educators to talk about it and network with one another to begin to express their political views about education. He said, â€Å"Acting alone is the best way to commit suicide† (485) and he hoped that instead of acting alone, teachers would work together in their fight. He argued that education is political in nature and this implies that the educator is a political being. I plan to sit quietly at meetings only long enough to have enough people on my side to be able to be heard when I want to speak up on an issue. Freire used the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† in this weeks readings, I use the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† all the time and I even used it in a recent conversation with my administrator. I was able to talk to her informally about a discrepancy I was having with the other members of my teaching team, and I told her, â€Å"I didn’t want to rock the boat. † She looked at me, smiled and laughed as she said, â€Å"Rock the boat! Rock the boat! † I was lucky enough to choose the right battle in this case and my administrator was on my side, I am so glad I did not let the fear of confronting the issue consume me.

Self-Reflective :: essays research papers

As I was flipping through my weekly subscription of US Weekly, I noticed a crossword puzzle featuring my favorite superstar, Britney Spears. The crossword was offering a $1 million prize to the 25th correct entry received. Breezing through the questions, I quickly mailed in my entry. About three weeks later, I received a check in the mail for $1 million! I decided to spend my prize money wisely by sharing with my family, investing it in a small business, and spending the rest for myself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First and most importantly, I gave my parents $300,000 so they can retire, put my brother through college, and maybe take a long vacation. I also gave both my brother and sister $50,000 each, so they can pay bills, or buy whatever they want. My extended family is also very important to me, so I gave each family a $10,000 Visa Gift Card, totaling $100,000 for 10 families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After my family was taken care of, I thought very carefully about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I decided to open a beauty salon because cosmetology interests me and it can be good money. With the building costs, supplies, and licenses, I spent about $95,000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, after my financial situation and family has been taken care of, I could then concentrate on myself. The first thing I did was sold my car, which got me $6,000 cash. With this money and about $86,000 more, I was bought myself a silver BMW 745i, with black leather interior and a V8 engine. I moved out and purchased a condominium in Highlands Ranch that was well furnished for $250,000. Of course with my new car and a new home, I had to go shopping for a brand new wardrobe and accessories. After five rough days of shopping, my expenses totaled out to $40,000. At this point, I was left with $29,000, which I put in a savings account for emergency purposes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it’s sad that most of the million dollars is now gone, and I was once considered a â€Å"millionaire,† the things I spent the money on turned out to make everyone who is important to me happy.

Factors Affecting the Loan Repayment of Rice Farmers in Ragay

As being observed in the Philippine situation the common problem and also not a new issue in agriculture sector is the low productivity and low income of farmers which can be attributed to their lack of capital. Many farmers have no enough savings or cash on hand to purchase new inputs including machineries, chemicals, pesticides and high yielding varieties of seeds which will help them to improve their earnings because these inputs are usually expensive. As an answer to this dilemma they rely on credit and the proliferation of different credit institutions is a great help to them. The credit need of the farmers were being experienced especially those who are engage in rice production because it needs a large amount of money for investment. These credit needs of the rice farmers were being provided by the two types of institutions namely the formal and informal lending institutions. The formal sources of credit include the banking and non-banking institutions. The mere examples of it are the rural bank, commercial bank, and cooperatives (Duran 2001) while the informal sources are the private moneylenders, relatives, friends, traders and millers. With the availability of the credit institutions in rural areas, it allows the farmers to maintain and sustain their productivity since income in this country is generally low (Cacho, 1995). Credit can be defined as a means of entrusting and believing from and since trust is an important ingredient in providing it, the lenders rely on a promise of the borrower to pay in the future (Guevarra, 1995). But it is a problem encountered by these formal and informal lending institutions that the farmer-borrowers were not able to pay their obligation at the expected time. Statement of the Problem With a total farm area of more or less 23,036 hectares almost 2,182 hectares in Ragay, Camarines Sur is being planted with rice and the need for credit can be observed in its production. It is therefore important that the credit institutions proliferate in this area to help and assist the rice farmers. The government intervenes through the promotion and development of the organization that will provide agricultural loan so as to improve the income of rice farmers, which include the development of the rural bank and cooperatives in the area. Together with the expansion of the formal institutions the informal lenders also expand and gave a significant role in alleviating the lack of capital by the rice farmers. With this expansion of credit sources the problem, which cannot be avoided by these institutions is the high percentage of loan delinquency by the borrowers. Though the high collection performance or high repayment rate would not necessarily mean the ultimate measure of successful operation of the institutions, a low repayment rate adversely affects the operation and stability of the different lending agencies. Also through loan default, credit institutions in Ragay were not able to improve and expand their services and sometimes lead to failure in providing efficient services. Significance of the Study Lack of capital or inadequate fund of the rice farmers in Ragay, Camarines Sur hinders their increase in production and income. They are not able to purchase production inputs and adopt new technologies to produce more output for sale and a credit as a source of capital is a big help to them but repayment of their loan is a pressing problem to the lending institutions in this area. This study will focus in increasing the repayment rate or increasing the non-repayment if not totally eliminating it to help the lending institutions in improving their services for the rice farmers. This study will also provide data that will help them to improve their loan collection and supervision for their sustainability though improving strict rules and regulation regarding borrowing. For the farmer borrowers, this study will help them to realize the factor which affect their repayment so as they will able to look for ways that will minimize their low or no-repayment of loans. It will also help them to understand that certain factor/factors of repayment decrease their capability of repaying the loan and therefore there is a need for them to do something to minimize those factors, which can be controlled. Objectives of the Study The general objective of the study is to analyze the factors affecting the loan repayment of rice farmers in Ragay, Camarines Sur. The specific objectives are the following: 1. o identify the common credit sources of rice farmers in Ragay, Camarines Sur; 2. to identify the factors affecting the rice farmers’ choice of credit source; 3. to determine the loan purpose of the rice farmer-borrowers; 4. to determine the relationship of the factors affecting the repayment performance of the rice farmer borrowers; 5. to determine the problems encountered by rice farmers in loan repayment; and 6. to compare the repayment performance of rice farmers by source of credit.

The History of the City of Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy, the home of the Vatican and the Papacy, and was once the center of a vast, ancient empire. It remains a cultural and historical focus within Europe. The Origins of Rome Legend says Rome was founded by Romulus in 713 B.C.E, but the origins probably predate this, from a time when the settlement was one of many on the Latium Plain. Rome developed where a salt trade route crossed the river Tiber en route to the coast, near the seven hills the city is said to be built on. It’s traditionally believed that the early rulers of Rome were kings, possibly coming from a people known as the Etruscans, who were driven out c. 500 B.C.E. The Roman Republic and Empire The kings were replaced with a republic which lasted for five centuries and saw Roman dominion expand across the surrounding Mediterranean. Rome was the hub of this empire, and its rulers became Emperors after the reign of Augustus, who died in 14 C.E. Expansion continued until Rome ruled much of western and southern Europe, north Africa, and parts of the Middle East. As such, Rome became the focal point of a rich and opulent culture where vast sums were spent on buildings. The city swelled to contain perhaps a million people who were dependent on grain imports and aqueducts for water. This period ensured Rome would feature in the retelling of history for millennia. Emperor Constantine instituted two changes which affected Rome in the fourth century. Firstly, he converted to Christianity and began building works dedicated to his new god, changing the form and function of the city and laying the foundations for a second life once the empire vanished. Secondly, he built a new imperial capital, Constantinople, in the east, from where Roman rulers would increasingly run just the eastern half of the empire. Indeed, after Constantine no emperor made Rome a permanent home, and as the western empire declined in size, so did the city. Yet in 410, when Alaric and the Goths sacked Rome, it still sent shocks across the ancient world. The Fall of Rome and the Rise of the Papacy The final collapse of Rome’s western power—the last western emperor abdicated in 476—occurred shortly after a Bishop of Rome, Leo I, was stressing his role as direct heir to Peter. But for a century Rome declined, passing between warring parties including Lombards and Byzantines (Eastern Romans), the latter trying to reconquer the west and continue the Roman empire: the draw of the homeland was strong, even though the eastern empire had been changing in different ways for so long. The population shrank to perhaps 30,000 and the ​senate, a relic from the republic, vanished in 580. Then arose the medieval papacy and a reshaping of western Christianity around the pope in Rome, initiated by Gregory the Great in the sixth century. As Christian rulers emerged from across Europe, so the power of the pope and the importance of Rome grew, especially for pilgrimages. As the wealth of the popes grew, Rome became center of a grouping of estates, cities, and lands known as the Papal States. Rebuilding was funded by the popes, cardinals and other wealthy church officials. Decline and Renaissance In 1305, the papacy was forced to move to Avignon. This absence, followed by the religious divisions of the Great Schism, meant that papal control of Rome was only regained in 1420. Striven by factions, Rome declined, and the fifteenth-century return of the popes was followed by a consciously grand rebuilding program, during which Rome was at the forefront of the Renaissance. The popes aimed to create a city which reflected their power, as well as deal with pilgrims. The Papacy didn’t always bring glory, and when Pope Clement VII backed the French against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Rome suffered another great sacking, from which it was again rebuilt again. The Early Modern Era During the late seventeenth century, the excesses of the papal builders began to be curbed, while the cultural focus of Europe moved from Italy to France. Pilgrims to Rome began to be supplemented by people on the ‘Grand Tour,’ more interested in seeing the remains of ancient Rome than piety. In the late eighteenth century, the armies of Napoleon reached Rome and he looted many artworks. The city was formally taken over by him in 1808 and the pope was imprisoned; such arrangements didn’t last long, and the pope was literally welcomed back in 1814. Capital City Revolution overtook Rome in 1848 as the pope resisted approving revolutions elsewhere and was forced to flee from his fractious citizens. A new Roman Republic was declared, but it was crushed by French troops that same year. However, revolution remained in the air and the movement for the reunification of Italy succeeded; a new Kingdom of Italy took control of much of the Papal States and was soon pressurizing the pope for control of Rome. By 1871, after French troops left the city, and Italian forces had taken Rome, it was declared capital of the new Italy. As ever, building followed, designed to turn Rome into a capital; the population rose fast, from roughly 200,000 in 1871 to 660,000 in 1921. Rome became the focus of a new power struggle in 1922, when Benito Mussolini marched his Blackshirts towards the city and took control of the nation. He signed the Lateran Pact in 1929, conferring on the Vatican the status of an independent state within Rome, but his regime collapsed during the Second World War. Rome escaped this great conflict without much damage and led Italy throughout the rest of the twentieth century. In 1993, the city had received its first directly elected mayor.