Dear Paulo

Dear Paulo: Letters from Those Who Dare Teach is a heartfelt response from teachers, academics, and community workers to the work of the internationally renowned educator and author Paulo Freire. From newly minted teachers terrified of facing their first day in the classroom to seasoned academics whose work has largely been inspired by Freire, this collection, accompanied by photographs of Freire with some of the letter writers, is both a loving memorial and a call to action to work for social justice, praxis, and democracy, ideals envisioned and brilliantly articulated by Paulo.

Will Ella ever find what she's looking for? Voluntary nurse Ella is haunted by the soldiers' cries she hears on the battlefields of Dieppe. But that’s not the only thing that haunts her. When her dear friend Jim breaks her trust, Ella is left bruised and heartbroken. Over the years, her friendships have been pulled apart at the seams by the effects of war. Now, more than ever, she feels so alone. At a military hospital in France, Ella befriends Connie and Paddy. Slowly she begins to heal, and finds comfort in the arms of a French officer called Paulo – could he be her salvation? With the end of the war on the horizon, surely things have to get better? Ella grew up not knowing her real family but a clue leads her in their direction. What did happen to Ella’s parents, and why is she so desperate to find out? The Abandoned Daughter by Mary Wood is the second book in The Girls Who Went To War series.

This year (2012) marks ten years of No Child Left Behind and the U.S. federal government’s official designation of what qualifies as “scientifically based research” (SBR) in education. Combined, these two policies have resulted in a narrowing of education via standardization and high stakes testing (Au, 2007) as well as the curtailment of forms of inquiry that are deemed legitimate for examining education (Wright, 2006). While there has been much debate about the benefits and limitations of the NCLB legislation (e.g., Au, 2010) and SBR (e.g., Eisenhart & Towne, 2003), critical researchers have held strong to their position: The reductionistic narrowing of education curricula and educational research cannot solve the present and historical inequities in society and education (Shields, 2012). Contrarily, reductionism (via standardization and/or methodological prescription) exacerbates the challenges we face because it effectively erases the epistemological, ontological, and axiological diversity necessary for disrupting hegemonic social structures that lie at the root of human suffering (Kincheloe, 2004). Not only has NCLB proven incapable of overcoming inequalities, but there seems to be sufficient evidence to suggest it was never really intended to eliminate poverty and human suffering. That is, it seems NCLB, despite its lofty title and public discourse, is actually designed to advance the agenda of handing public education over to for-profit corporations to manage and privatize thereby intensifying the capitalist class’ war on those who rely on a wage to survive (Malott, 2010). In the present ethos, reductionism upholds and retrenches the status quo (i.e. the basic structures of power), and it puts at risk education and educational research as means of working toward social justice (Biesta, 2007). Because social justice can be interpreted in multiple ways, we might note that we understand critical social justice as oriented toward action and social change. Thus, critical education and research may have potential to contribute to a number of social justice imperatives, such as: redistributing land from the neo-colonizing settler-state to Indigenous peoples, halting exploitative labor relations and hazardous working conditions for wage-earners, and engaging in reparations with formerly enslaved communities.

A young artist in Mussolini's Italy must work for the propaganda machine if he wants to continue to paint. His obsession with his muse Mathild drives him to make any sacrifice. But his adoration for her forces him into new and dangerous circles. The art world of 1940s Rome is beguiling and glamorous but threaded deep within is a frightening world where no-one should be trusted and it is very easy to disappear without a trace.

What if the families of students most impacted by the opportunity gap somehow had the power to organize whatever activities they felt would best help their children succeed? That’s the question that began Families with Power/Familias con Poder (FWP), a grassroots organization of low-income students and caregivers in Northampton, MA. Through vignettes and interviews, this premiere book in Sonia Nieto’s Visions of Practice Series shares the stories and lessons FWP learned along the way. Inspired by Paulo Freire’s educational philosophy and the radical tradition of the Highlander Folk School, a group of real families with few material resources and educators connected with each other, found common ground, and built their own programs to address the needs of their children. Readers will get an inside look at the benefits, successes, and challenges of more than a dozen years of student and family engagement in the community and school as FWP tackled issues ranging from academics, race, and class to immigration and public health. Book Features: The story of how the author cofounded Families with Power in cooperation with immigrant and low-income caregivers and fellow educators. Insight into multiple racial and ethnic perspectives as seen through a myriad of family engagement programs.A relatable collection of narratives that bring to life Freire’s methods of problem posing, culture circles, and popular education, as well as Highlander Folk School’s methods of grassroots organizing.Guidance to help today’s teachers and school leaders connect with students’ families and community in meaningful ways. The author’s experience as a white teacher learning to bridge cultural, racial, linguistic, and class differences and build authentic relationships to better serve diverse communities.

Memories of Paulo is a beautiful book, one that is enmeshed with humanity, humility and love, reflecting the life and work of Paulo Freire. Many of us know Freire through his writing and dissemination of ideas, which have gained currency over the past few decades in a number of circles around the world.