As the
semester draws to a close, I have spent some time reflecting on my first
semester of teaching. Here is my initial thought: by no means do I know
what I’m doing. (Does anyone?) I am still in the process of figuring out who I
am as an instructor and how I want to foster my classroom climate. That being
said, I think that I have been doing right by my students this semester, as I
am committed to their learning and empowerment. I’m not sure if this has been
felt by my students, but I suppose I will find out after SPOT evals.
As a
final note for this semester, I’d like to outline some of my commitments as an
instructor.
1.
I am committed to the use of popular culture in the
classroom.
The remarkable power of popular culture was clearly illustrated
in last week’s readings. I liked Hammonds and Anderson-Lain’s description of popular
culture as “cultural objects as literal manifestations of experiences that have
been crafted or structured,” (p. 112). In other words, popular culture is an
extension of human communication through the relationships among people as they
find meaning and structure through signs and symbols. Popular culture has the power
to recognize and reproduce the experiences and identities of communities of
people, for better or for worse. When we use popular culture in combination
with Critical Communication Pedagogy in the classroom, we give students the
agency and power to name their experiences. We become student-teachers in
relation to our students and give up some of the power we hold as instructors.
I saw this in my own classroom during Rhetoric and Advocacy
week, after I showed my students the This is America music video, the class discussion
that followed was incredibly insightful and surprising. Students who had not
spoken up in class prior had raised their hands and contributed to the
discussion. The discussion was exciting, I couldn’t keep up with the amount of ideas
that were being shared. As an instructor, I want to experience more discussions
like that with my students, and I believe popular culture is the key.
2.
I am committed to my authenticity in the
classroom.
As Palmer stated, “As I teach, I project the condition of
my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together,” (p. 2-3).
Ultimately, good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.
Palmer explained that good teaching is less related to the methods that
teachers use to connect with their students and to connect their students with
the subject, and more related to the degree to which the teacher knows and
trusts their own selfhood, and their willingness to “make it available and
vulnerable in the service of learning” (p. 11). The identity of the teacher is
an integral part of the teacher’s connectedness to themselves, their subjects,
and their students. When I teach in my classroom, I hope to teach with my authentic
self. I hope to portray my identity and integrity in the classroom in meaningful
ways, to embrace the vulnerability of teaching and my inner truth, and to
connect with my students and my subject.
3.
I am committed to the empowerment of my students.
Most importantly, I am committed to the empowerment
of my students. For me, this empowerment is informed by two scholars, Paulo Freire
and bell hooks. As I recognize how educational systems function as systems of
oppression, particularly for students, I also recognize the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy that both my students and I live within. These structures
impact students in very real ways, and to simply ignore the ways that our
intersectionalities work to privilege us and oppress us, would be to ignore the
very real identities, experiences, and lives of our students. As an instructor,
I am committed to reducing the power I hold in the classroom in meaningful
ways. I believe, as teachers, we are responsible for employing a Critical Communication Pedagogy in our classrooms, as we must continue in the fight against
power and oppression. This is perhaps the most meaningful way that we can
impact our students.
As a
final, final, note, I would like to thank all of my fellow pedagogues,
my mentors, and my students for a semester I will never forget. Thank you for listening to all of my rants, my frustrations, and my existential crises.
Much
love.
#eyeswideopen
Angelica,
ReplyDeleteIt's very rare that people know what they're doing, especially me, so you're not alone. What great commitments to have and strive to uphold in your classroom! Each commitment incorporates aspects I also want to practice as an instructor. One particular commitment of yours that I resonated with is your commitment to authenticity in the classroom. I think Palmer got it right when he shared his thoughts on how teachers should hold themselves in the classroom. Your post has caused me to reflect on some of my favorite teachers who I've encountered over the last few years. I think about the teachers who impacted me the most in my academic career and those who I want to model after. There's a similarity between all of them- they were authentic and genuine. They engaged in self-disclosure and were vulnerable with the class. In my classroom, I can strive to be vulnerable with my students and invite them into conversation. I think it's important to show my students that I'm not just their teacher but I'm also a real person. I'm hoping that by being authentic and sharing my life, appropriately of course, will help make my classroom a place of genuine connections between me and my students.
Angelica, I am so glad you had such a positive discussion experience using the "This is America" video! I had a similar experience after doing a rhetorical media analysis as a class, and I agree that I want to experience discussions as interactive, rich and fun everyday. I think that through the use of popular culture artifacts such as "This is America", you can not only establish your commitment to the use of pop culture, but you have the opportunity to show your authentic self and empower your students to speak up and express their authentic selves. As you continue to explore ways in which to incorporate pop culture in the classroom, I'm confident that you will achieve each of these commitments, and become increasingly confident in them as the semesters go on.
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