Humans don't fit into boxes! 

No one human is born to fit into a box! If only the education system could grasp this idea, if only every learner could run free and become creative and critical thinkers and I can go on forever with the "what ifs". The point is that no one is made to fit into a box and we as critical pedagogues need to change this one side view.

The Independent project is a whole new (and cool) way to look at teaching. It is a system where learners can become themselves and learn in an environment where they can experiment with a different ways of thinking and being creative. Some of the learners even enjoyed subjects they never had understanding of simply because they had freedom to study in a way they feel comfortable with.

This Independent project made me thought teaching and me being a teacher. I know they said it is not impossible to start a school like this, but we still have to be realistic. Not all people will enjoy that much freedom; some people simply don’t have that type of commitment and responsibility to keep them going all independently. Don’t get me wrong I love the whole independent idea. But some learners are in need of boundaries and teachers to guiding them. So I thought what if teachers in ‘normal schools’ allow learners to be creative and independent in their own way in the classroom, teachers can still be the guides making sure learners don’t get lost along the way.

Therefore the teacher must adapt to the learners’ desires and needs. Teachers must allow children to have their own ideas and creativities. Teachers must listen to what the leaner would like to learn and how he/she would like to learn. I know you are thinking yeah right in a class of 30, 40, 50 children how on earth will you, as teacher, adapted and nurture their desires for how they would like to be learned.

This brings me to the S. Hamilton reading that teachers must break this idea of the silent culture. Teachers must interact with their learners and build relationships. This will enable teachers to understand and know the needs and desires of their learners. It will also learn them to be independent in their own way because they will move away form the idea that the teacher is the one with all the knowledge. But they as learners are able to use their own way of critical thinking to come to the conclusions. This will allow learners to create their own ideas, ways of learning and understanding of their work.

Thus teachers must become critical pedagogues. They must move away from the conservative route of teaching. Teachers must rather reach out to the needs of their learners and create spaces where learners can have critical and creative thoughts and to express them in a way that it will enhance their learning experience and understanding of the work.