Blog Post-It

        While reading through the text written by Freire, I noticed a great number of similarities between the ideas of Freire and of Ayers, the author of To Teach. I had a Post-It note near Freire's quote "Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students." My note said that I get the image of the front cover of To Teach. I think that this idea and this image work together to try to create the standard way of looking at teaching. The job of the teacher is not just to teach, but also to be able to learn from students. I believe that if you give kids the opportunity to learn in different ways, they will better retain the information that was covered. 
        The style of problem-posing teaching was the style that I think that Ayers preferred in his book. He often discusses situations that would seem foreign to a teacher that taught in the bank deposit format. He talks about using his desk as a work space for the students and making it an area to play and be creative in. He also tried to incorporate a variety of ways for students to learn that allowed them to become problem solvers and think through a real life situation. 
        The only downside I see to both Ayers and Freire is that they seem to believe that this type of teaching is possible all of the time and in every situation. It is not always logical for a teacher to use their desk as a working space. It is not possible for every lesson to be taught in a creative way and with the type of style that Freire discusses. Some things, like memorizing the multiplication table or learning a new language need to be done over time and need to be developed by the child themselves. Since I want to be a math teacher, I know that I will probably have to go over these types of lessons. I will make sure to try and stay interactive with the students, but sometimes they need to have their own time to think it over. I will try to use my experience as a student to know what types of teaching styles to avoid. I think that overall, the thing that both Freire and Ayers want is teachers that want the kids to succeed by thinking with the teacher and discovering the truth behind what they are learning. I intend to work side by side with my students and learn with them and to teach them in the way that is best suited for that particular class of children.