In the Harvard course “Pedagogies of Liberation: Race, Gender and Class(room)” we read John Dewey. I begin to understand Freedom and Culture while something resonates and pulls me toward Toni Morrison: “if you are free, and you have some power, then your job is to free somebody else.” Am I free? I feel like I am, more than ever. So can I free others? I try. And it seems to me that Pre-Texts is a powerful instrument for that. We meet with the students from Universidad de Playa Ancha in Chile who are applying Pre-Texts in their own teaching practice, and without planning it, the same themes come up: freedom, how to progressively dismantle hierarchy, emancipating students and teachers alike, how to take validation out of the equation. Montessori, Mistral, Colón, Ranciere, and Capetillo show up uninvited to the party. This was supposed to be a meeting about practice — checking in on how they’re implementing Pre-Texts in their classrooms, helping them get certified — but that’s the beauty of Pre-Texts: everything leads to everything else. Read More
