Well, I'm beginning to learn why Parker Palmer calls his book, The Courage to Teach:The Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life. I knew some days it took a lot of courage to stay in my class and even more courage to show up the next day. But the 'inner landscape'. What does that mean and what do 'I', 'me' have to do with teaching? Everything. As I explore through critical self-reflection, I'm realizing more and more how intricately woven my 'me-ness' is with my teaching. When I began teaching, we were told not to speak about 'politics, sex and/or religion'. Those conversations were forbidden territory. You put on your 'teacher' when you go to work, keep a distance and don't get emotionally involved. This is a dualistic (at the least, maybe multi-isitc!) notion that doesn't realize the importance of holistic living. Nowadays, within conversations with fellow teachers and now, this September, going back to university for further studies, I'm heartened to hear that new teachers are being encouraged to reflect on themselves as practitioners and the impact of that awareness on their work. It's a much healthier and authentic way of being. May we offer the same to our students.
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April 2015
Janet---constructed and constructing along the way--- Categories |