Born in Recife (PE), the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire (1921-1997) is recognized worldwide as one of the most important thinkers in the history of education, for his commitment to the liberation of oppressed classes, through work that develops critical awareness and involves pedagogical, critical and transformative dialogue.
Military dictatorship – arrested in 1964, Paulo Freire spent 70 days in a barracks cell in Olinda (PE). On discovering that he was a teacher, one of the officers asked him to tech some of the recruits to read and write, and the educator explained that he had been imprisoned for the exact reason that he was teaching people to read and write.
In 1980, after 16 years in exile, Paulo returned to Brazil to “re-learn” his country, as he said at the time. He lectured at the State University of Campinas (Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)) and at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo – (PUC-SP)). The Professor and coordinator of the Cathedra Paulo Freire at PUC-SP, Ana Maria Saul, was a member of the team headed by Paulo Freire when he was Municipal Secretary for Education, in São Paulo, and shared a classroom space with him for almost two decades.
According to Ana Saul, the Professor’s conduct in the classroom was discrete. He exercised an aspect of knowledge that is emphasized in the book, Pedagogy of Autonomy: the knowledge of how to listen: “he listened attentively and respectfully to everyone and was always ready to interject whenever he felt it was appropriate or when someone from the group addressed him.
In these moments, we would hear his soft voice, which nonetheless revealed strong moral posture and invited thought about the challenges that were presented, always aimed towards a critical reading of the world and an intransigent defense of human ethics and the struggle in favor of the oppressed.”
Other information is available in the book Paulo Freire: Contribuições para o ensino, a pesquisa e a gestão da educação, that can be accessed free of charge here.
Text written by Angélica Ramacciotti, professor, journalist and Doctor of Education from PUC-SP. Fonte: http://www.escolaslibertadoras.com.br/paulo-freire
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