Power, authority, and resistance in the classroom: contributions to critical teacher education

Abstract

This essay examines the power relations that shape classroom life and argues for distinguishing among power, authority, discipline, violence, and authoritarianism. Drawing on a Foucauldian perspective, the classroom is conceptualized as a relational space in which teachers and students negotiate strategies, resistance, and mechanisms of regulation. Although teachers occupy an asymmetrical institutional position, students also exercise agency by negotiating, challenging, and reshaping classroom dynamics. This perspective moves beyond portraying teachers as the sole agents of domination or idealizing a pedagogy free from authority and conflict. The essay further explores the tensions between the humanistic principles of the New Mexican School (Nueva Escuela Mexicana), the growing administrative demands placed on teachers, and the realities of educational practice. Finally, it offers guidelines for strengthening legitimate pedagogical authority, promoting critical teacher education, and fostering collaboration among teacher education institutions, universities, and schools.