Courage To Teach: Divided No More

[lpeters]

Gloria, this is in response to your post to Timothy.  While I agree that the Bible should not be discounted as a reference in the classroom when it is pertinent, I think we do have a responsibility to be careful about presenting Christian beliefs as the only game in town.  There are probably many people who would get a little bit excited if tomorrow they woke up to see, "In Allah we trust" on their dollar bills or their children were made to recite, "One nation under Ganisha Shiva".

[wakin]

In response to Warren: "I've learned to allow for the possibility that not everyone will like me--especially when I speak my peace on issues that I'm passionate about--and that's OK, too."
I'm so impressed! You are right, there are more important things than being liked.  But it's really hard not to worry about it--I admit I always want my students to like me.  It's a nice reminder that if I worry to much about that, I will end up doing a disservice to my students.  It's also comforting to know that it's something that male teachers have worried about.  Up until now, I've only talked about it with female teachers.

I would like to add here how much I appreciated Rodney's concept that we don't want to be our students' friends, but we do want to be friendly.  This distinction seems key and one that I can work with!

I've reflected about the idea of not wanting to be our students' friends, too.  I don't think it would be too far-fetched to say that, like a parent, I want my students to feel safe, secure--even loved.  But to be a mentor, my students may not always like me.  Students always seem to respond to structure, boundaries and consistent expectations.  Every time I am nebulous in my expectations, trouble is always around the corner!

[kfelton]

I would say to Britt that Parker Palmer doesn't want us to feel that "divided no more" is limited to the small world of our classroom. He sees the larger picture of reform and wants us to understand how a reform movement can be successful so that we might be larger participants. He says on page 189, "I am a teacher at heart, and I am not naturally drawn to the rough-and-tumble of social change. I would sooner teach than spend my energies helping a movement along and taking the hits that come with it. Yet if I care about teaching, I must care not only for my students and my subject but also for the conditions, inner and outer, that bear on the work teachers do. Finding a place in the movement for education reform is one way to exercise that larger caring."

Years ago I didn't realize I had been living a divided life, and my colleague at work made me realize that in doing so I had limited the richness of my communication and relationships within the workplace. She didn't say bring your problems to work, but rather let people know who you are and what you value by sharing yourself. As an adult, I've revisited this many times. Most often now, I share more than others are comfortable knowing, but I am me and I am the real deal with no hidden agendas attempting to live transparently with no punches pulled. People don't always agree, but they do respect that you live honestly. More recently I've lived a divided life at work for years as my company didn't view me as a teacher but as a technologist, so I struggled to maintain a balance between being a teacher and developing community around that (networking) and focusing on implementing technology systems hierarchicly (in a vacuum/silo), causing the two to be mutually exclusive. My mistake was working for corporate after coming from the trenches. Corporate doesn't always care about those in the trenches and how systems impact them as systems are bottom-line driven.

In my community at home we are seeing a reform movement - the business and community leaders are trying to oust the mayor. It has been an interesting movement to watch gain momentum. I predict it will succeed because it has community support and the leaders understand the rules governing this kind of reform. Reform starts with taking the first, sometimes scary, step. I'm ready for reform in  many arenas right now. I know I will spend time thinking further on how to reform might successfully occur within them...taking the small steps within my own world first as Lynne mentions to live an undivided life and be a good role model for my son.