The more I know, the more I grow...

The more I know, the more I grow...

Theory and practice must hold hands, this is the principal idea from Freire´s last words. Growing and knowledge have to do the same in students’ lives. Is not possible to grow without any dose of knowledge as the similar way as is not possible to know without any sign of growth. Growth in any sense. We as teachers can measure students´ development with grades and numbers but what about their personal growth? The way they behave, think, show their emotions and create relationships with the teacher are important to emphasize too.

Going back to the practice, I do not how many times I have said “sense of possibility” to my students. It does not matter the amount of examples I have shown, they have to experience those values to comprehend their real meaning. Here it remains the “practice” of  Freire´s words.

Talking about the theoretical knowledge, is necessary to promote critical-thinking in order to generate curious and hungry students for new knowledge. We the teachers making presence in front of the classroom spend most of the time presenting topics and the knowledge we pretend to transmit to the students. When it is students´ turn to discover and share new things with the rest of the classroom, it is incredible the level of their works.

I sent invitations to parents of my “research and methodology workshop” class to be present at their sons´ final projects reports. Students had the theory needed to follow the scientific method and put it into practice creating their own project. They chose interesting problems from their communities to be investigated. At the end of the presentations I listened to parents who had no idea how incredible their sons could be, some could not believe the quality of projects they saw and some others said they have never been invited to see the works of their sons.

Joining the theory and practice my students follow to create their projects and adding the recognition from their parents, and the change in students´ confidence and attitude they showed there are no more words to say:

I know how hard it is, but my sense of possibility reminds me every minute that in this process I will get a reward at the end of the day. I am learning and growing as the same way my students do.