Quality education accessible to all, regardless of a student's family's economic status, is one of humanity's greatest achievements. It is essential for building a society of free citizens who think for themselves and understand the many alienating strategies employed by political and economic powers. Emancipatory education is not instruction aimed at producing functional, efficient, and obedient adults who can easily integrate into the productive machinery of capitalism. Good education equips children with the necessary tools to understand themselves and their place in the world, to be aware of the importance of the bonds that unite us with others, and of the human and humanistic values that make collective life a good life. It is an education that fosters kindness, that nurtures and develops each child's innate abilities, that empowers them to stand firmly on the ever-shifting ground of existence. It is not about curricula or projects: it is about connections and coexistence, about recognition and respect. And we will have role models who guide us beyond the family sphere.
Encountering a teacher who changes your life at some point during your school years is one of those strokes of luck that we should thank fate for. In schools, there's a bit of everything: some people go into teaching because they don't know what else to do or because they haven't been successful in another field. There are frustrated people and people who just wanted to be civil servants to collect their salaries and do the bare minimum. There are also those who crave power, who want to prosper and climb high on the administrative ladder not because they want to do things or change them, but because they want to be above everyone else. These are the ones who, without being affiliated with any party, practice politics more than teaching. And then there are a good number of people dedicated to this profession who are there out of a deep vocation, who find meaning in the task of nurturing students with knowledge and skills, and participate in the wonderful process of seeing a person develop. They love what they do and they love their students; they give their all every day, their personalities and their experience. They do their job well if they can be and feel free in the classroom, if they know they are part of a system and a society that values them and allows them to teach as they believe they should. Some are more orthodox, while others deviate a bit more from the norm; some do everything by the book, while others prefer less conventional methods. It doesn't matter. What's important is that they can be themselves with their students so that children can have a diversity of role models. In this way, they build a sense of security that prepares them to navigate life and face the challenges that adulthood will bring.
To end universal education, it's not necessary to enact neoliberal laws or drastic budget cuts. The most effective approach is to directly attack this fundamental element of education: the dedicated teachers who love their work and love their students. Burden them with bureaucracy, censor their methods, subject them to a "surveillance and punishment" strategy, burden them with mountains of utterly useless training courses, strip them of all power, and put them in the crosshairs. Give a voice to families who complain about any discomfort their children experience, publicly humiliate them for any minor infraction, attribute bad faith to them, and poison their confidence in their work with absurd doubts. Turn students into clients and teachers into their servants, undermine the legitimate authority of those who transmit knowledge, and you'll have it. You'll have finished off the most important piece on the educational chessboard. And, therefore, on individual freedom. On democracy.
