Unveiling the Power of Abolitionist Teaching: Unlocking Educational Freedom

Education is the cornerstone of societal progress, shaping minds, attitudes, and future generations. However, the traditional methods of teaching have often perpetuated inequality, leaving marginalized communities behind. In this transformative era, the concept of abolitionist teaching has emerged as a powerful tool for dismantling oppressive structures within education and empowering students.

Abolitionist teaching is not solely focused on eradicating outdated educational systems, but aims to pave the way for a more equitable and inclusive future. It draws inspiration from abolitionist movements throughout history, such as the movement to abolish slavery, and applies similar principles to education. Just as abolitionists fought against the dehumanization of enslaved individuals, abolitionist teaching seeks to liberate students from oppressive classroom practices, biases, and disempowering curricula.

The Foundations of Abolitionist Teaching

At its core, abolitionist teaching is rooted in dismantling structural inequality, as it recognizes that education can either perpetuate or challenge systemic injustices. It aims to disrupt the status quo by centering the experiences and voices of marginalized students, encouraging critical consciousness, and fostering agency.

We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

by Bettina L. Love (Kindle Edition)

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One crucial component of abolitionist teaching is the recognition of the historical and ongoing harm caused by traditional educational practices. The curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment methods commonly used in schools often fail to acknowledge diverse perspectives, reinforce stereotypes, and favor dominant cultural norms. Abolitionist teaching strives to dismantle these biases and reframe education around the needs and experiences of all students.

Centering Students and Empowering Communities

Abolitionist teaching prioritizes students' identities, experiences, and cultural backgrounds. It aims to create learning environments that value the cultural capital brought by each student, rather than suppressing or erasing it. By doing so, it fosters a sense of belonging, encourages participation, and strengthens community connections.

Teachers adopting an abolitionist approach actively dismantle the traditional power dynamics found in many classrooms. Instead of positioning themselves as the sole source of knowledge, they become facilitators and co-learners, embracing collaboration and shared decision-making. By relinquishing control, teachers allow students to take ownership of their education, promoting agency and empowering them to be active participants in their own learning journey.

Abolitionist teaching also places great emphasis on building partnerships with students' families and communities. Recognizing that education is a collective effort, teachers engage parents, caregivers, and community members as valuable stakeholders in the educational process. This partnership fosters trust, strengthens support networks, and enables a comprehensive understanding of students' needs and circumstances.

Addressing Systemic Inequities

The abolitionist teaching framework challenges the systemic inequities prevalent in education. It critically examines policies, practices, and structures that perpetuate disparities and works toward their transformation. By actively working to dismantle oppressive frameworks within the education system, abolitionist teaching aims to provide an equitable educational experience for all students.

One of the key elements of this approach is disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline, a phenomenon disproportionately affecting marginalized students. Abolitionist teaching advocates for restorative justice practices, addressing disciplinary issues with empathy, understanding, and a focus on healing rather than punishment. By nurturing positive relationships and creating empathetic environments, teachers can help break this harmful cycle and support students' growth and development.

Embracing Liberation in Education

Through its commitment to equity and justice, abolitionist teaching goes beyond individual classrooms. It promotes a vision of education that empowers students to actively participate in shaping a more just society. By encouraging critical thinking, action, and empathy, abolitionist teaching prepares students to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems in the world around them.

While the concept of abolitionist teaching is gaining recognition, its implementation may face challenges. Resistance from entrenched systems, lack of resources, and the need for widespread systemic change can hinder progress. However, the transformative power of abolitionist teaching in fostering educational freedom and social justice cannot be overstated.

Abolitionist teaching offers a revolutionary approach to education, centering on equity, inclusion, and liberation. By dismantling oppressive structures, centering students and communities, addressing systemic inequities, and embracing liberation, it paves the way for educational freedom. Implementing abolitionist teaching requires collective efforts from educators, policymakers, and communities. Together, we can unlock the true potential of education and empower every student to thrive, become advocates for positive change, and actively contribute to a more just society.

We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

by Bettina L. Love (Kindle Edition)

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1177 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	197 pages

FREE

Winner of the 2020 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award

Drawing on personal stories, research, and historical events, an esteemed educator offers a vision of educational justice inspired by the rebellious spirit and methods of abolitionists.

Drawing on her life’s work of teaching and researching in urban schools, Bettina Love persuasively argues that educators must teach students about racial violence, oppression, and how to make sustainable change in their communities through radical civic initiatives and movements. She argues that the US educational system is maintained by and profits from the suffering of children of color. Instead of trying to repair a flawed system, educational reformers offer survival tactics in the forms of test-taking skills, acronyms, grit labs, and character education, which Love calls the educational survival complex.

To dismantle the educational survival complex and to achieve educational freedom—not merely reform—teachers, parents, and community leaders must approach education with the imagination, determination, boldness, and urgency of an abolitionist. Following in the tradition of activists like Ella Baker, Bayard Rustin, and Fannie Lou Hamer, We Want to Do More Than Survive introduces an alternative to traditional modes of educational reform and expands our ideas of civic engagement and intersectional justice.