Miss the classroom

It's been a good two months since I've last stood in the front of a classroom. In teacher's time that means too long. I never realized that summer vacations could feel so poopy. Yes, poopy. Although I have been so busy in terms of my own obligations as a student, I miss facilitating discussions. In fact, I jump into the role with my friends and family without realizing it. Retrospectively, however, I notice that it is sooo dangerous to go into 'teacher' mode with friends and family. It can come off as domineering, a bit cocky, and somewhat arrogant. Now, it's not that I feel that way (i.e. I'm the teacher and everyone else should learn from me, no....), but people aren't used to it, except in a classroom setting. Therefore, I encourage all those who are in educator roles to be careful!!!

A couple of months ago, I was with people getting coffee, and without realizing my voice went into "teacher mode". Now, my teacher mode isn't like "sit down and behave" or "I'm the teacher you're the student" but more of "please elaborate on why you think that" or "what do you think that means" ect ect. But I guess it can feel like one is being interrogated in a sense. I look back at conversations and I'm like "oh snap!" how'd that happen??? It's so interesting because, you're curiosity about people, ideas, and beliefs can come off completely the wrong way. -____- trust me, it can...

o___O


Anyway, what am I talking about?

I think the hardest part about being a teacher is finding the right balance (maybe it all avenues of life too). As a student, the teachers I greatly disliked were those who pretended like they knew everything. I also disliked those who had no clue what they were doing because of lack of preparation. Trust me, students notice. The professors/teachers I loved the most were those who truly did challenge me. They pushed me without my even realizing it. My favorite professors were those who made me realize that I had skills and ideas that were important, whether or not people thought them. They made me realize that my ideas were important no matter how shallow or deep they may be. They taught me to listen to everyone, regardless of age/experience/gender/race ect, and to look for a lesson to be learned. So that everyone you meet teaches you something. So, that the world is your classroom. So that every moment is a teachable moment.

Sorry if this sounds cliche, but if you truly experience this fully, you really become a person who learns. I modeled my classroom based upon the best experiences I had as a student. Some students love it, some students hate it. I still have millions of miles to go of experience and changes to make. I mean, I have only 2 years of teaching experience and that is nothing.

My sister just said something really interesting (and relevant) while we were observing someone in my family use a tool in the wrong way. The family member kept saying: "this is the worst tool I've ever used". And my sister turns to me (while I was typing this post)

"One day you're going to be teaching the one subject that doesn't suit you like math (cuz I'm in political science), and someone is going to call you the worst teacher in the world. That is because your skills are not being properly used."

This was soooo on point. Any experience is one that you can learn from. Does this mean give up on classrooms and forgo books? Not necessarily.



Okay, A.D.H.D.... FOCUS! I miss my classroom. I might not be teaching this summer, because I need at least 10 students to register, and I don't think I have met the threshold yet. Classes start in a week and a half. But maybe the anticipation will help me get more excited about being back in the classroom.

So what is this post really about?
1- missing my classroom
2- don't go teacher mode outside of it
3- teachable moments from all people
4- stay open-minded.

Just wanted to share my thoughts. But, also, I wanna hear (read) yours.

words slap hard

Yes, I'm double dipping.... This is a post I wrote on my other blog...:

http://supreemthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/06/words-slap-hard.html

"Commodification of Knowledge"

"Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be consumed in order to be valorised in a new production: in both cases, the goal is exchange"(J.F. Lyotard)

I am going through the 'comprehensive exam' period of my graduate student career; which we are tested on everything we should know in our field, whether we know it or not... Therefore, I have piled up my books/notes and started to make 'note cards', as well as re-read previous materials. Well, the class I am essentially reviewing right now is "Contemporary political and social theory" (I think that was the title of the name)... Anyway, I want to discuss this aforementioned quote that I came across while reviewing my notes... and it's manifestation in today's society.

We are in a dilemma... I don't believe in Hegelian binaries of thesis/anti-thesis --> leading to an eventual synthesis of things, but rather multiplicity of interacting factors that may act against one another (positively/negatively/neutrally/none) which may cause an outcome of some sort. You know, how they say, go back in history and change one minute detail, such as missing a bus, and the future changes drastically. Anyway... Lyotard talks about the commodification of knowledge...

What does that mean? Well knowledge has turned into a product that is easily standardized and packaged, then distributed as though it was 6 pack of diet coke from Walmart. People do not seek an education anymore; but rather seek a degree..

I was talking to my friend A.J. (yes the anonymity persists), and she mentioned the lack of respect she witnesses from students to teachers, the level of effort she puts into the classroom, the skills and knowledge she would like to attain, and not once did she mention a degree... What I saw in her was the 'ideal student'. <3!!! What are we faced with today? Students in the classroom who tell us teachers things like "we pay you, so you can't fail us" ect. It is as though knowledge has been put on the shelf, and teachers have become slaves to the status quo. There is a saying in Arabic "The teacher could have been a prophet" but teachers, teaching, education, knowledge has been subject to standardization and automation... Student's don't give a crap about knowledge, and those who do- are exhausted by it. They watch their classmates pass with minimal effort and therefore begin to acclimate to those behaviors. They start to put in just a little less effort. Teachers, well they see that student's averages are decreasing and well the 'HIGH AND MIGHTY BELL CURVE' must prevail! -___________-

I'm going off on a tangent, but what the heck, right?

I am nostalgic for those who seek knowledge as an ends. The idea that knowledge is not instrumental, except as a secondary benefit. Why has knowledge been reduced into packages that you either get or you don't. Not only that, but people who have knowledge, but not the "degree" are considered fakes or non-credible. Today in class, my professor mentioned the Tom Hanks wanna-be a "historian" phenomenon and mocked him for it. He suggested that Tom Hanks get a degree in History, and then can become a legitimate authority in it. While I agree, that people who have "knowledge" without a degree, make us "knowledge via degree seeking people" depressed because it makes a mockery of our efforts, it also frustrated me. I mean, maybe Tom Hanks should have some "formal training in history" before he gets quoted on the news as a historian, but at the same time, how about all those people who know so much more about things than us in our field of study.

So, do I start an online tutorial on how to do a cartwheel because I have that knowledge? or do I become a locally/world renowned gymnast first? But as a seeker of knowledge, I prefer to teach whoever is willing what I know up until now, if a person is interested in learning it. However, as an future academic - well my career just fell down the crap-hole because someone else took away my occupation that I've been training for - education/teaching and research.

But maybe my prof is right. If you want to research something for the media/tv or in general, go to the expert (i.e. the person who formally studied the subject in question). However, does that mean one can only learn from a select few? Dilemma!!!

Okay, I got off topic again... commodification of knowledge....

In order to internalize information, one needs to relate to what they are learning. The knowledge pyramid looks as follows:


However, with making knowledge a neatly packed commodity it seems like we will forever remain a bundle of data or at most information. With that, a hyperreality (as Jean Baudrillard would put it) would emerge. Why? Because people imagine that they have knowledge, as displayed with the image of their degree, but the reality they do not. They have a bundle of data that they never internalize because of their passing through college with a sense of mediocrity and an expectation to pass because they paid for this degree... I know so many people who have stated they learned nothing in high school and nothing in college... So, what the heck does that mean???

Is it the college? Is it the students? Is it the education system at large? Are the teachers at fault? Is society at fault? Is it capitalism???? Ideally coupling a true desire to seek knowledge with a degree that reflects it comprehension would be great! But if people are obtaining degrees with minimal effort, doesn't that mean we should up the game a bit? Challenge our students a bit? Work with emerging technology and the wikipedia effect. I mean, information is available to anyone now through the advent of the internet. It democratizes knowledge (or more accurately: information) to some extent. However, shouldn't we turn that information/data pool that people collect and help them internalize it, to develop true skills, true knowledge, and true wisdom.

I'm at odds with myself. In the beginning I said I don't believe in complete binaries. I stand with that statement near the end of this post. I would like to posit that knowledge is still out there and needs to be attained by our degree holding population (myself included). What do you think???

Is there a way that the commodification of knowledge can be used to our advantage? Do we need to make adjustment to systems/societies/people? As a teacher (or a general member of the public who has something to impart upon us with your knowledge) what do you think needs to be done?


I'd love to hear your thoughts.
peace
-R

Prologue - new beginnings.

Good Morning,

To start us off, you can call me R. I don't mind.
Call me by my real name if you'd like, but really... you'll likely butcher it.

Anyway....I am a blogger, and have been blogging for almost 7 to 8 years (back when Xanga got us all hooked). So, my other blog is silly/poetic/serious a whole jumble of things.

I've been having these serious conversations about the education system in America and really it's been depressing as heck. So much potential just flushed down the toilet. My sister, who also is a teacher suggested writing about teaching; she said, "R, why don't you write a book about teaching and the advantages/challenges you face, especially because you are so close to the age of your students...." and 4 years later, I'm not going to write a book, but start a blog.

So, before I start blogging on teaching non-stop... I'll tell you a little about myself:
I am currently 23 years old. I started teaching middle school and high school social studies when I was 19. I did this for a year and I realized I had a PASSION for teaching. What I wanted to do (with my BA in political science) at that point, was unclear. But taking a year off from school and teaching was an amazing experience, which you may discover from future posts.

When I thought about my favorite professors and teachers in school, they were always the ones who CHALLENGED me. I mean, really got me thinking, working, reflecting, wanting to meet their standards. It was my professors at UMB who really made me consider teaching and so I did it for a year, before venturing off into graduate school. It was these amazing educators who influenced me to pass the baton on, and maybe encourage others to learn and teach as well. But despite these kick butt professors, I also have a legacy of teachers in my family. My parents, my siblings (except one brother), many of my aunts and uncles are educators of some way, shape, or form. I find it intriguing that I never had considered it until a whim decision to take a year off and teach at a school that needed a social studies teacher.

Fast-forward 3 years later, with a masters in political science and work in research (sadly not teaching), I was getting edgy without a classroom, without the books, without ability to facilitate discussions and thoughts. I finally got accepted into our TA program and I started teaching American Government; a freshman require course at the university where I am completing my PhD. I am considered a Teaching Assistant, but really I have my own class, my own syllabus, my own book, my own resources... I'm assisting no one but myself and the students. So, for me, I may not be professor, but I do consider myself a person learning/training to be an educator.

So, I am a young teacher (if I may be so bold to call myself that), with only my experiences and the advice of others to guide me. But I love what I do, and decided maybe I can teach the world about learning/teaching, and maybe the world can give me some pointers as well.

I started this blog so I could post on a specific topic. But I'm going to save it in my next post. ^___^

HELLO!