In-Class Writing Assignment

Before we engage with schools as institutions, let’s center the concept of teaching as a human endeavor. What does it mean to be a teacher? What does it mean to be a student? Who decides who is a teacher and who is a student? What does a teacher do? What does a student do? What does it mean for students (children) to have rights? What does it mean for teachers to have rights? According to Cohen, what are the three major "predicaments" or "paradoxes" that emerge for teachers? To what extent do you agree or disagree with Cohen's depiction of teaching and learning as acts of "human improvement"?