When faced with blog wrap up I realize that looking back on what we have done over the semester provides me with so many tools to use going forward. Much like the any thing in life, I know I will look back on pedagogy (and all of the reading and writing) with fondness when I look back. "Awe… remember when I cried because I did not understand the difference between communication education and instructional communication? Awe… such a great time." But that's not now. It's too soon.
Today, I look back on reading, discussing, teaching and teaching, discussing, reading and how much I have to learn still and all of the work I have to do. My takeaway from the semester can be summed up with one word: community.
The community in the TA space provides comfort, information, advice, listening, and love, which is what this graduate student needs. Without the other TA's I am quite sure I would have felt like I was drowning. The sense of community provided a lifeline to a rookie trying to find her way. For that, thank you.
Community is applicable to my pedagogical life as well. The overarching theme is that each individual needs to be recognized and through doing so, a dialogical community will follow. Therefore it is imperative to acknowledge each participant through their identity, culture, and agency.
Early in the semester I blogged over fear that we all feel when entering the classroom. The fear that I experienced at the beginning of the semester has dissipated as my knowledge and experience has grown. Through participation in our discussions in class I have witnessed my students' fear dissipate as well. My favorite quote from the semester is hooks, "I will not ask you to do something I will not do myself."
So, while we are all writing our wrap ups, I realize that we are not done. There is still work be done. Agencies to acknowledge. Cultures to discover. Power to be shared. So, rather than wrap up, I say, wrap on….
#trysomethingnew
Becca, I really enjoy your discussion post about community. I definitely felt the same way after my first semester and I still feel the same way now. Everyone always says "it takes a village to raise a grad student" and I definitely agree. I would not be where I am today without the awesome community that we have in our department. Your contributions to class have been great and I am really grateful for your advice!
ReplyDeleteBecca! I love this, and I find everything you said true. Community in the classroom and in the space makes the world of difference in our teaching and learning experiences. Reading your post makes me reflect on the semester and realize how much we have grown! You have been such a great supporter and friend this semester, and I am so grateful to go through these learning experiences with you and the rest of these amazing (crazy) people :)
ReplyDeleteI remember when I hit the point during orientation where the only thing that could lift my tension and anxiety about teaching was... teaching. I expected to come out of the classroom feeling much better, but I didn't - only upon speaking with some of you and realizing that we were having similar experiences was I really able to parse those experiences. If I were teaching 1010 in a vacuum, let me tell you - this semester would have been more than a little bit spooky!
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