Educators as Agents of Hope: Hopeful Possibilities Found in Hopeless Realities

Abstract

Many students living in poverty experience daily hopeless realities that prevent them from meeting their full potential. Adversely, hope makes it possible for one to engage in the struggle, to believe in the possibilities of tomorrow, and actively participate in their quest for transformation. This chapter explains the role critical hope plays in dismantling systemic oppression and dehumanizing order of what society has historically and unjustly prescribed them to be. As agents of hope (Strikwerda, 2019), educators can beget hopeful possibilities for our students by instilling a belief that change is possible and creating loving dialogical spaces that awaken a taste toward humanization.

Citation

Strikwerda, H.L. (2021), "Educators as Agents of Hope: Hopeful Possibilities Found in Hopeless Realities", Lalas, J.W. and Strikwerda, H.L. (Ed.) Minding the Marginalized Students Through Inclusion, Justice, and Hope (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 16), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 273-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620210000016015