To Engage or Empower?

I recently came across a blog post asking the question – Should we be engaging or empowering students?  I’ll be sharing this with my students as an example of a false dichotomy or the ‘either-or logical fallacy.’  These goals need not be mutually exclusive and the best answer may be somewhere in the middle.  While I try to help my students pursue or uncover their own individual passions, I also want to help them find a passion for things they never knew they’d feel passionate about – namely contemporary politics…