Category: Student posts

The passage seems to be geared more towards inspiring teachers, but to me, as a student, the passage is interpreted as being part of a creation. Each student is a section of the fabric that will eventually be so well-knitted that the final product is a masterpiece. As a student, it makes me believe that each person in my class is part of this product and I need to do my part to make sure each person knows their value and their importance.

I have had a few teachers that show this type of mindset. I don’t believe that it was an intentional mindset, but they have it nonetheless. They weave community within their class that is based on common rules that each person in the class deems important. I was in a P.E. class where there was the normal competition between individuals or teams, but each person was encouraged by everyone on their team or by everyone spectating. There were some people that were naturally competitive and wanted to win, but for the most part everyone was excepting. The teacher didn’t keep score. Even if it was obvious which team was winning, there would be no official score to verify.

My high school years were similar. Most people switched which electives they selected, but I took woodshop, metals, and physical training every year. For woodshop and metals, there was a beginners class, then the second semester was intermediate. After a year of woods, students that wish to make their independent projects would continue in Advanced woods I, then Advanced woods II, etc. I did wood shop every semester through high school, even though one of those semesters I changed to do basic construction. Anyway, When I got up to a high enough level I was a teachers assistant, off the books, so I would get a full credit compared to half of a credit (which TA’s normally got). The woodshop was a relatively safe place. There were some accidents, but everyone in each of my classes were willing to help those that needed help. It felt like a family or a tight-knit group of individuals that worked together to build their own pieces of furniture. If every person in the class worked together, by the end of the semester there would be furniture to fill a two bedroom house. It would contain a dining table, a coffee table, four chairs for the dining table, a few lamp stands, a book shelf or two, a TV stand or two, and even a desk. We worked together to make each piece of furniture into a masterpiece.

“Heart of a Teacher” by Parker Palmer is an enthusing article. I don’t disagree with anything he wrote in this piece. His article basically encourages an individual to be him/herself while teaching. Becoming a good teacher requires countless hours of trying to find one’s self and finding different techniques to connect with different types of students. Like Palmer said, “knowing my students and my subject depends heavily on self-knowledge. When I do not know myself, I cannot know who my students are.” An individual definitely needs to be honest and create a safe space where they are able to trust anybody about their struggles. Palmer quoted that “not all spaces can be safe, not all relationships trustworthy, but we can surely develop more of them than we now have so that an increase of honesty and healing can happen within us and among us”. Teachers aren’t the supernatural people who are able to painlessly get up in front of the class and have a smooth talk. To become a great teacher, one must learn through trial and error just like all the other professions.

Heart of a Teacher and today’s class reminded of all the teachers I’ve had throughout my life. I’ve had many great teachers. But those who usually stand out for me are the ones that not only cared about me, but also made a difference in many of my classmates’ lives. My motivation to make a difference occurred with my 9^th grade geography teacher. She was stern, but she deeply cared about everyone in the classroom. She was able to clearly present some numbers that were eye opening. Her tone was negative when she was doing her lecture, but the message she shared was the most encouraging for me. I’ve also had other teachers who were inspirational in different ways. Other teachers that come to mind are my 10^th grade English teacher and 11^th grade US history teacher. Their classes were tough, but they’re the classes that prepared their students for college. Most of my family members didn’t believe I was able to graduate from college, but my high school teachers did. My high school teachers informed that if I was working as hard as I am in their classes, I’d surely graduate from college. Whenever I thought about giving up, I’d remember my 9^th grade teacher who asked us whether we are going to contribute to the dropout rate or graduate. I’d remember my history and English teachers who had faith in me. I still get inspired today whenever I’m having a tough time.

“To reduce our vulnerability, we disconnect from students, from subjects, and even from ourselves. We build a wall between inner truth and outer performance, and we play-act the teacher’s part. Our words, spoken at remove from our hearts, become “the balloon speech in cartoons,” and we become caricatures of ourselves. We distance ourselves from students and subject to minimize the danger–forgetting that distance makes life more dangerous still by isolating the self.” -Parker Palmer

I spent last school year in the classroom of one of these caricatures. He was a prime example of what not to do as a teacher, and I took each moment as a learning experience. It wasn’t until I read Palmer’s excerpt that I found words to describe this teacher.

I don’t want to spend this post badmouthing this man, so let’s suffice to say that I hope to be nothing like the teacher he was. I want to be present in the classroom, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. I want to be able to put forth as much effort into teaching as I hope to receive from my students. I want to create engaging lessons as well as give well-thought feedback. I want to be someone the students can count on, and to be open to the “Why are we doing this” question. I have seen the opposite and it isn’t a productive classroom.

I think if your heart is in it, you can’t help but be at least a good teacher. Maybe not a great one (there’s always new techniques to learn), but a good one. Going off of our discussions today in class, one of the most common themes of a good teacher is passion and true caring towards students. Neither of these can happen if your heart is not in it.

I honestly couldn’t remember anything about this essay (even though I read it just yesterday) until I went back and reviewed it just now.  Perhaps because so much of it was abstractions and generalizations.  Perhaps because my brain was full today and things I learned yesterday had to fall out to make room.

However, upon review, the stories of Alan and Eric struck me on a personal level. The call to “know thyself” is the ancient call for every sentient being to figure themselves out; to realize their true identity.  Many of us eventually reach a very good understanding of ourselves.  And that’s great. But that’s not enough to find true happiness, you also have to follow that other ancient maxim: “to thyself be true.”  We all have to find a life, (which means mostly you have to find work), that complements your own basic integrity.  PP talks about how your basic integrity is that part of your identity that is essential to you, that which makes you special, your life-force and then you have to let that dictate your life’s path, your life’s work.  And that path is natural and it comes from within you, and not from what society/family/false friends (and whatever of their opinions you have internalized), then it won’t feel like something you dread, something your forced into for lack of any “better options.”

This struck a cord with me because I don’t know how much I’m going to respond to teaching.  Listening to some of my fellow students, it’s obvious that they feel teaching is a “calling” for them.  That is so awesome.  I hope I get to the same place, but I don’t think I’ll know that till next summer.

I know I don’t want to be like Eric, who “…failed to weave the central strand of his identity into his academic vocation. His was a self
divided, engaged in a civil war. He projected that inner warfare onto the outer world, and his teaching devolved into combat instead of craft. The divided self will always distance itself from others, and may even try to destroy them, to defend its fragile identity.”

I suppose all I can do is continue to watch for clues as to whether teaching presents itself to me as a “life-giving choice”.  I’m optimistic but I’m also aware that it may not be as central to my integrity as it is to others.  And if that proves to be the case, I have to be accepting of that and then to plan accordingly.

The only thing I’m totally sure of is that Meta Cognition is some kind of a superhero and that Parker Palmer is clearly her/his mild mannered intellectual alias.

 

 

 

Newly returning to student status and having been working within a number of disciplines that do not encourage colorful or heartfelt sentiments in writing I am hoping to be able to make the necessary adjustments to ‘spruce’ up my writing a bit. Reflecting upon my days in middle school so many years ago I do recall that I was fortunate enough to have several caring and compassionate teachers. Despite their caring,and in some cases, I was unreachable, however I have some of my fondest memories of two in particular that pushed me and let me figure some things out on my own then they pushed again and again. They were relentless in their resolve and for that I am forever grateful. Although I did not see it that way then, looking back I recognize the passion, determination, persistence, patients, and caring that drove good teachers to work each day, to press on, and into the resistance of adolescent rebellion. They clearly did not require a breakthrough moment nor were they going to get one. They did make one hell of an impression though and look at me now; thirty years have passed and I’m still thinking of them. Funny really, I want to do what they were doing; helping others find their way. At a distant starting point, staying true to themselves yet reaching deep to make contact to their student’s inner teacher, I only hope my heart can take it.

“The courage to teach is the courage to keep one’s heart open in those very moments when the heart is asked to hold more than it is able so that teacher and students and subject can be woven into the fabric of community (kula) that learning, and living, require.” -Parker J. Palmer

As a student, this resonates with my desire to own more of my learning.  To have teachers who create a space in which my learning can actually mean something to me- and allow me to feel connected to material and find purpose in what new knowledge I am acquiring.

As a student through high school, I spent most of my time getting descent grades, doing what was needed and saying (or not saying) what I thought the teacher wanted to hear, but never really feeling connected to most subject matter.  I went to class to get an ‘A’.   I joined clubs because it ‘would look good to get into college.’  I was taught not to make ripples, not to stand out and definitely not to disagree.  I didn’t question most teachers, because I didn’t want to get in trouble.  This type of experience is similar to that of some of my peers.  We have been talking about topics such as this for the past few weeks.  It is why I think I have embraced since high school alternative ways that we, as students, are educated; in the classroom much of the time I was bored and didn’t see any relevance of how school related to real life.

I did have some amazing teachers that taught me many amazing life skills, introduced me to important information and just got me excited about learning and being at school. My middle school choir teacher helped with my creativity and confidence, my high school world history teacher taught me time management skills and my geology teacher blew my mind in terms of getting me excited about rocks and cool science stuff- a subject I usually didn’t like.  These teachers are partly why I am here today.  It is the classes that I found fascinating that I remember.  It is the teachers that left a positive imprint on me that I, as an educator, want to hold on to for ‘lessons learned’ and ‘best practices.’

“… what we teach will never “take” unless it connects with the inward, living core of our students’ lives, with our students’ inward teachers.”  -P.J.P.

Another former amazing teacher of mine I want to acknowledge.  Mr. Dye, a middle school history teacher changed my life.  Not only was he an amazing teacher, but he gave me actual skills that I could carry with me after our year together was over.  He taught me how to take multiple choice tests.  He offered ‘how to take tests’ classes at lunch.  This skill helped me get through middle school, high school, college,… EMT certifications,… and even Praxis tests.  The time he spent gifting me this skill made me want to work that much harder in his classes- and do that much better on his tests.  The content of the class was great, but the life-skill was just as important in my educational experiences thus far.