What Is the (Real) Agenda of a Critical Pedagogue? Self-Studying the Application of Freire in Moral-Political High-School Education

ABSTRACT This self-study examines my work as a teacher of “Moral Preparation for the Army,’ a program inspired by Freire and implemented in an Israeli public high school. Together with a fellow teacher educator serving as critical friend, I reflected on my practice through memory-work, and analyzed it in light of critical pedagogy. Looking back, I acknowledged Freire’s inspiration: offering complex conceptions on sociopolitical issues and encouraging me to inquire into my ideological objectives and question the openness of my dialogue. The result is a novel interpretation of the critical pedagogue’s role, providing insights for teacher educators on how to teach Freirean pedagogy and how to guide their student teachers to maintain an ethics of diversity and inclusion, particularly when facing anti-democratic threats.