Credo:

We both (Beth and Josh) lean on some level toward socialism/Marxist principles on a pedagogical level.  These leanings enter our teaching philosophies in a way similar to how Freire says it must: Freire believes that every act in the classroom is a political one: a moment where empowerment is in play, and where you as the teacher are either empowering the students or, as Marx might have it, disempowering them.  This entails a re-centering of the teacher-as-authority figure, which Josh doesn’t believe that Beth fully buys… Or as Beth puts it, “There are gender issues at work here that Josh might not be acknowledging.  I think the teacher as authority figure has to be redefined.” 

So much of this is about ownership as well as empowerment.  It’s okay to own your own ideas; you can still revise them.  Your ideas can grow and change; you can be wrong; you can take chances and revise.  You must take that risk or you will never find Truth.  This relates to our pedagogical credo in that we both believe we must encourage our students to take the risk of owning their ideas.  We both also believe it’s okay to have cable, and to watch it.  Go Sox! Go Yanks!

We believe our credo falls most in line with the tenets of Critical Pedagogy

Pagnucci and Mauriello raise similar issues in an explanation of a quote by Freire:

“If you cannot say, ‘this is who I am, I exist,’ then you are never truly empowered. If you cannot sign your real name to your own words, then no one else will ever know what you think and believe.  Your existence will always be marginal, lacking the ownership so important to Freirian self reflection” (Pagnucci & Mauriello, p. 85)