To echo some of the posts already, thank you to everyone who shared and listened on Friday. As I reflect on how class went, I realize it felt like a roller coaster of emotions. Happy, tired, sad, fired-up, calm, and just about everything else in between. As an anthropology major, I have really been enjoying digging deep into the issues we have been talking about. I particularly liked the iceberg analogy Zalika put on the board. After class, I thought about how the metaphor works well for "the self" - what shows out of the water is our outward presence. The clothes we wear, the words we speak, and the way we present ourselves. The first layer under the water is our behaviors. I relate this to the way we really are - the way we act around our best friends, families, and loved ones. The distinction between our public and private selves is different, because for many of us there are more layers than what we bring to the classroom. The next layer is our belief system. This layer is more of conscious decisions we make as to what we think is right or wrong. These choices directly influence our behaviors, and our outward presence. The final layer, is the deepest. Values. This layer is often hard to access. It is where we keep our deepest emotions (some good, some not so good) It can be thought of as a locked basement. Similar to the layer of beliefs, the values layer influences the entire iceberg; however its effects are often made unconsciously. The "I am from" exercise asked us to access our entire "iceberg" to show who we are and what is important to us. This process was similar to my overall experience in class on Friday - an emotional roller coaster. I found memories that made me smile, and some I had chosen to forget.
I realized that as teacher, we need to be conscious of what is coming from ourselves, because we are influencing everyone that passes through our classroom. We need to be be careful of our language, how we treat social situations, teach about culture... this could be an endless list, so I am going to stop while I am ahead. The point is, we need to know who we are all the way down to the values layer, in order to offer our students the best of ourselves. The more we represent a genuine self in the classroom, the more able our students will be able to do the same.
Thanks to everyone again for being such a supportive cohort group!
Brendan, I love that you applied the iceberg metaphor to us in relation to the "I am from" exercise we just did. That we need to know who we are "all the way down to the values layer" is a bit intimidating, especially since we are constantly adjusting and developing our values as we engage in dialogues with people from similar and different backgrounds. You reminded me of what we read in Parker Palmer's The Courage to Teach, that we have to represent a genuine self in the classroom. I hope that in showing our genuine selves, selves that are intentional about what we do, conscious of our action's consequences, and committed to equity and respect, we can inspire our students to empower themselves.
ReplyDeleteBrendan, I also really like how you tied the iceberg back into your post, the form of the iceberg is exactly the way I see it. I think taht knowing yourself and what your values truly are will allow you to see where you are truly at. Assessing those thoughts and feelings will allow you to take a step towards giving your students the best that you can.
ReplyDeleteBrendan- word up on your post. I really enjoyed reading it and also really appreciated how you applied the iceberg metaphor. I particularly appreciated your last paragraph because I am presenting a workshop tomorrow and the point of it is to be honest with ourselves about who we are and where we come from. I have been a little nervous because the workshop encourages us as a cohort to recognize our personal relationship to privilege and power and I wasn't sure if people were going to be open to the exercise. I appreciate your enthusiasm to take a deep look at yourself in order to become the best teacher you can be and I know you will bring that attitude tomorrow!
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