I think this week’s
readings were a great way to end the semester, and bring everything back full
circle. I honestly do not think that
teaching for social responsibility, awareness, and change is something I’ll
have a problem with because it encompasses everything that makes me want to
teach. I can’t imagine my classroom not having a strong focus on analyzing and
critiquing our social world, because that is so much of what I do on a daily
basis. I’m always having the conversations I would want to have in my
classrooms with friends, family, and my peers, so I don’t think It’s something
I will be able to escape. Even if this research and discourse did not exist,
I’d still be the same teacher, and if I couldn’t expose my students to these
types of questions and issues then I’d have no interest in the field.
Nonetheless, I’ve always feared that my
students will be too engrossed in those issues and I’d fail them along away on
content. But if my classes were to completely rely on social awareness and
questioning our society would that be a negative thing? I don’t know. I’m sure
I could find ways to integrate everything I think is important for them to
learn. Nonetheless, I don’t think it’s necessary for me to have all of those
answers right now, because what’s reassuring to me about the Bomer and Bomer
piece is that they stress continuously having to learn from your teaching and
making it better.
I think the Freire piece is
kind of harsh, but in the end the message is important, and especially important
for me. I want to make sure that I’m not
“depositing” information into my students because I do have a strong opinion on
social problems and I want to make sure that I’m not teaching to my agenda,
whether my thinking is “progressive” or not. I think the significance lies in
the students being able to form their own opinions and judgments based on their
experiences and their interpretation of our social world.
Overall, I have learned a
lot this semester. I feel like I have a better sense of who I want to be as a
teacher. Whereas before I saw my ideas as completely deviant and rebellious,
our conversations and readings have completely legitimized the visions I have
for my classroom and I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow as an
educator.
