We continue our conversation with Dr. Edwin Mayorga of Swarthmore College. We discuss the corporatization of schools that reduces students to their test scores. Dr. Mayorga encourages educators to center joy and healing. Schools should be liberatory rather than places that are too often focused on punishment and surveillance. Schools, as “localized nodes of political power,” should adopt democratic processes that cultivate voice, participation, and collaboration. As an organizer, he encourages coalitions of people resisting different aspects of racial capitalism, including those fighting destruction of the planet and exploitation of other species.
Overview
00:00-01:34 Intro
01:34-04:55 Making the shift from a more traditional to a more liberatory school
04:55-08:11 Sustainability after school founder(s) leave
08:11-11:37 Relationships of capital to schools: Now and a century ago
11:37-14:47 Education sovereignty
14:47-18:08 Community land trusts as models for schools
18:08-22:20 Balancing autonomy with accountability
22:20-24:41 Humans’ relationships with other animals: Moving away from anthropocentrism
24:41-28:58 Where the joy is
28:58-34:32 Takeaways: joys, hope, healing, radical possibilities
34:32-35:30 Outro
References
Listen to the first part of this conversation here.
Transcription
Click here to see the full transcription of this episode.
Credits
Soundtrack by Podington Bear
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