Literacy is not just things that are learned in classrooms and textbooks, but rather by everyone sharing their knowledge through interaction. This argument is similarily posed in Heath's essay, "The Fourth Vision" and of Freire's essay, "The Banking Concept of Education."

        Freire voices his opinion that the problem-posing method is better for education. This problem-posing method makes no authoritarian out of anyone. Rather it is a process in which everyone shares their knowledge, learns, and therefore grows. Learning from everyone in a classroom is beneficial not only to the student, but it is also beneficial to the teacher. For example, students usually fill out evaluations of the class at the end of the year, and their feedback helps the teacher to possibly figure out a different way to teach things so that students are able to understand. This is how the teacher-student relationships are developed.

        Similarily, Heath states that people learn by talking and considering together. From this vision, three conclusions seem to point to past achievements that we must use to challenge both the future organization of institutions and simplistic definitions of literacy. "These include all of us-children and adults, students and teachers, shop workers and supervisors, clerical workers and managers-learn most successfully with and from each other when we have full access to looking, listening, talking and taking part in authentic tasks we understand. Secondly, we can complement each other in particular areas of expertise if we learn to communicate our experiences; sharing what we know helps bring the group higher performance than private reflections of individuals do. Finally, humans must move beyond information skills to meaning and interpretation for learning to take place and to extend itself" (Heath, 157). Both of these authors argue that we all can learn from each other to benefit everyone, whether it be at school, work, or home.

        However, because the argument by both of these writers helps support the fact that the teacher is not the only "knowledge giver" does not mean that textbooks should be taken out of classrooms nor should lectures. Textbooks are a very important part of learning, but there is more to learning than just reading the text. I agree with this. To me, a good teacher is one who will respect the students equally and listen to them. I learn more if a teacher teaches the text, by relating it to our lives, rather then a teacher who gets up in the front of the classroom and rambles on about the text. For example, my English teacher ng my senior year, would sit in a students desk and be part of the discussion when we would talk about Shakespeare. At times, some of Shakespeare's plays seemed to be too confusing , but with her interaction, I was able to understand on my level. This type of learning does not occur just in the classrooms, but also in the workplace. It makes the inferior person (student or employee) have a chance to be heard and from their knowledge, their overseer can learn more.

        Some may disagree with this argument that everyone can and should learn from each other through interaction and cooperation. They may feel that Heath and Freire do not believe in teaching the text and instead they believe in just sitting around and talking. However, this is not true. I think, they still believe in the text, but they just feel everyone should have an equal chance to say what they feel instead of the teacher lecture the whole class. Maybe this is what Heath meant when she said, "Learning can be dangerous." Others may add, that this would give children a bigger role than what they should have. If we have the teacher-student relationships at school, the children may start to voice their opinion too much and take advantage of this when they are at home also. But I do not think this is so because the students would be in better learning environments if they were to ask questions to understand the material. Others may also add that people learn better by themselves through practicing. Of course, this is true, but is not the interaction of the teachers that first helps the students to understand what they are doing. Such as in Math class, if the teacher throws up a couple of problems on the board, chances are the students will be clueless. But, if the teacher explains how to do them and then wlks around the room and checks to see if everyone is doing them right, they will understand better and then will be able to go home and be able to practice them on their own.

        Just like Heath stated in her three conclusions, everyone learns best from each other--young or old. Teachers can really make a difference in the way they teach so can any authoritive figure for that matter. For example, I would much rather be in a clasroom setting where you would sit around and discuss what you read, just like in English class, instead of sitting in my Chemistry class where my professor lectures for an hour that, to me, sounds like he is speaking some foreign language because I do not understand. I would be more inclined to not show up for the class that lectures because it would not keep my interest. In order to get more out out of learning, one's interest level has to be high. Keeping one's level of interest is usually easier for the teacher when they interact with the students as they teach Literacy is gained by everone sharing their knowedge.