Teacher, activist suggests research, involvement, unity
NEWARK – Teacher and activist David Greene contends education should embrace listening to all people, researching issues, diving into the democratic process and joining with others to affect change.
"The current education model is to train people to be obedient," he said, "to fit the current labor model, whatever that is."
Greene, 69, of Newark, is working to change that through his new book, "Unfit to be a Slave," which offers alternatives to traditional education, best described in the work's subtitle: "A Guide to Adult Education for Liberation." He said he hopes his book will empower teachers, students and ordinary people to learn to join forces to understand and overcome society's many challenges.
Greene took his book's title from the life of Frederick Douglass and the notion that learning to read and write makes one "unfit to be a slave." He said there are many different types of literacy, and his book is for everyone who seeks change.
"I've studied others, and I don't pretend to have the answers so much as that, together, we can get the answers and make change," he said.
Published by Sense Publishers of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Greene's book is available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble in paperback, hardcover and e-book editions.
He is promoting the work in libraries and bookstores and will next talk about it starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Bryn Du Mansion, Granville. He also plans to appear during Authors Day on April 18 in the main branch of Newark's Public Library, 101 W. Main St.
Greene, who has both a bachelor's and master's degree in psychology, serves as the president of the board of the Freedom School in Licking County, a collective that regularly presents programs, films and forums in local libraries, churches and union halls. His wife, Janet Greene, holds a doctoral degree in American History, and also serves on the Freedom School board.
Their group is currently negotiating for a permanent home to meet and host its offerings.
Greene has more than 40 years of experience in adult and worker education and works locally with the Citizens Committee for Housing Rights.
Born in Brooklyn, he said he believes that big problems need social solutions and contends that answers can come when people talk with each other and work together. He taught adult education in New York City for several years and met people from all around the world, many of whom held credentials not recognized in the U.S.
"I would be teaching people who speak three or four languages, and I speak only one. So who is the illiterate here?" he asked.
Many different factors — some global, some local, some personal — can contribute to unemployment and homelessness, he said.
"How close are we all to that? he asked.
He disagrees with the "empty-vessel" model of education that maintains that teachers impart their knowledge to students who start with a blank slate.
"The truth is, it should be that the teacher is a learner, too," he said, "and the students can teach them, too."
While research and good ideas are important, he said, "you have to have to some force behind you." He recommends joining with other people who also seek change.
He cites the current movement to change Newark's pit bull law as an example of establishing "strength in numbers." He has stood alone in front of city council to present issues, he said, "but if 50 people show up, it changes the dynamics of the room."
Greene said he was inspired to write his book by teachers who asked him how to motivate students, and he was supported by friends who encouraged him to share what they all had learned.
"I've had a lot of help," he said. "We all stand on other people's shoulders, whether we admit it or not."
jwilliams6@newarkadvocate.com
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Twitter: @JoeAdvocate
If you go
• What: Life/Local Series: "Unfit to be a Slave: A Guide to Adult Education for Liberation," by David Greene
• When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: Bryn Du Mansion, 537 Jones Road, Granville
• Cost: Free
• FYI: Copies of this book are available at the Granville Library