Do
you think that it is the educator’s role to overtly work to make the world a
better place? What are some things that
you could/will try to do as an educator to work toward social
improvement/justice? Be as specific as
possible. (Yes, I know we have a lot to do at the course's end, but I think
it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about it!)
Personally, I think it will be part of my role as an educator to overtly work to “make the world a better place.” I find myself still feeling somewhat ambivalent about whether that should be the role of all educators because I know there are many who are excellent “teachers” and provide their students with quality knowledge without thinking of their job in those terms. However, I do not think that teaching is the right profession for someone who has no interest in the wellbeing of their students, and to a degree at least, I don’t believe it is possible to care about the wellbeing of my students without also wanting the world in which they live to be a better place. In addition, though I think I will probably choose to be overt about my social justice goals, I know of many educators who feel they would be risking their jobs if they were to do so in their schools. In those situations subversion is certainly more effective that passivity, which I will go as far as to say I disagree with in the face of blatant injustice. In other words, I think it would be over simplistic of me to say, “yes, I believe that it is the educator’s role to overtly work to make the world a better place,” but ultimately I do think that is a common ends we all should work toward.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of specifics, I think there are a number of things I would like to try in order to create a “democratic” classroom environment. First and foremost, something that I have seen too few teachers do, and one that I feel will be very important to me as a teacher, is the persistent acknowledgement of the value of my students’ experiences and perspectives. On a very different and more practical level, the concept of collaboration (vs. dictation) will influence the layout of my classes. Though I may not be able to start out this way in all of my classes, a goal will be to create an environment in my class in which groups of four (two-facing-two) is productive.
I think that it is not the teachers role to overtly create a "better world" but to create better citizens that go out and create that "better world". Teachers should model their classes in a way that a democratic society would idealy function. This in turn gives students the skills to function as a participatory members of society. I feel that class decisions, to an extent,should be made in a democratic nature where each student has a vote and majority rules. In my classes they would have the opportunity to appoint/nominate a representative to speak for the class as a whole. This, as well as many group projects, will teach collabrative skills and community buildling skills. Teachers should not work outwardly to oppose their ideals of what will make a "better world" onto their students but instead work for creating better citizens to be able to function within society.
ReplyDeleteWell I am Vegan so I already know I am doing more to make the world better than everyone else...................But honestly it's exhausting to worry so much about the world. Postman talks about information saturation, and I think that applies here....there's so much wrong in the world....and there's a real desire to fix it all, and I really dislike the idea that I am supposed to rank the problems on a scale and then solve them in the order. I like the idea of expediency...let's work to the larger goal of the world getting better, but working in a small scale and to deal with the things that I can see in front of me. I think it's my job to make my class better, myself better, my students to the end that I can do that, make the school better, and to help the community with the goals they and we set out for it and then get out of the way when I need to...which is probably all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons I want to be a teacher because if you're doing it well, it's inherently making things better. It'll be kind of a relief to focus on the details for awhile and worry less about the overt parts.
It took out the part of where I added in all the crickets signs.
ReplyDeleteThis is Josh by the way.
DeleteBoth Emily and Lindsay make cogent points about the purpose of teaching. I agree that teachers need to overtly create better citizens and a better world. This includes showing students what it means to be a part of the democratic process. This process can involve the students through modeling by using skits through taking turns speaking, mock elections, and discussions on the infringements on basic rights. The collaboration and group interaction should foster many of the skills needed to develop a politically conscious and informed society.
ReplyDeleteAlso here's Bill Ayers: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/bill-ayers-obama-war-crimes_n_3461319.html
ReplyDeleteIn brief, yes. I think that making the world a better place is an inevitable goal in teaching. It is not always (rarely?) the result, but it is an inevitable goal. This is a weird place to live. Everyone seems to agree on the purpose for teaching, students learning. This in and of itself has a positive effect on the world, whether through their extended understanding of the world and drive to change it, or at least their improved educational chances at personal economic success.
ReplyDeleteThings I will do...
-Take an activist stance in my classroom when confronted with challenging ethical choices.
-Explicitly structure my teaching to bring out the moral and ethical dimensions of history.
-Include a variety of material and points of view in the texts I offer students.
-Encourage students to share their experiences, construct their identities, and to show create an atmosphere that values each of these expressions of fuller selfhood.
-Share my excitement and indignance about the common omissions of the dominant narratives in American history.
I agree with Emily. I genuinely think that as educators we are making the world a better place. I know that you must be a certain type of teacher in order to be successful. As teachers we are attempting to create better citizens, but in the end the students will only take as much out of our teaching as they want to. As stated by Emily and Lester, I believe that we should be creating good democratic citizens. Encouraging democratic situations in class as well as helping them to get involved is the community.
ReplyDelete-Kyle
It's a very good question about overtly working to make the world a better place, and there are some good perspectives from everybody so far. Ultimately, I think that the answer is yes. Overt, but measured. What do I mean by that? As an educator, my top priority needs to be on the students in my class. And similar to what Emily mentioned, I think that I can most effectively work to right past wrongs by doing my best to give those young men and women a quality education, which will enable them to succeed in the world. If I do that, then I think that the world will be a better place. But in regards to other aspects of activism against policies that have led things being the way that they are today, well there is a place for that as well. As a role model in the democratic process, I can also work to aim of preparing students to be citizens in our democracy.
ReplyDeleteAs I've mentioned that my top priority will be the students in my classroom I also think that I need to start by fostering a democratic environment in my classes. I need to lead by example and show a respect for the different discourses that I may encounter and to show that I value each student, regardless of their background. I will structure my classes in a way that will give students a role in designing their own education. Maybe something like having a "Flip-the-classroom-Friday" or "Free-form-Friday" or something along those lines. I'm still trying to work out how that might work, though.
I don't think that it is the teacher's job to overtly make the world a better place in the classroom. I like Emily's point that we should help to create better citizens so that they cultivate their own passion to change the world, rather than blatantly promoting our own worldview. Allowing students to develop and form their own opinions and attitudes is the entire point of education. Yes, teachers can provide their own opinion in the classroom and still allow the development of their students'. But i think the better goal is for students to form their own opinions and to stay in the background. I will strive to make the world a better place, in the background and outside of the classroom (volunteering in the community, at school, etc.). I will tell my students what i do and how i think, but my goal will to stay in the background and let my actions speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs for what i will actually do specifically to promote social justice as an educator, i will do my best to steer projects towards social justice: those that promote the history making actions of individual citizens, not just power structures. I will do my best to attend to the needs of the school as best as i can. I will do whatever i can to aid my students within the confines of the school and district's standards. I'm going to do my best to live and throw myself into the community of the school in which i work. It's hard to know exactly what i will do right now before actually getting into the classroom, but that is the best i can offer right now.
I don't think that an educator's role is to overtly impress upon their students a need for social justice or social change, much less to work to make the world a better place. Instead, this work should be more implicit. As stated many times in class, no discourse or lesson is without values. Every lesson and everything that a teacher teaches should carry with it the values of bettering society and making the world a better place than it was before. Instead of using a heavy hand, lessons should be constructed in such a way as to showcase social justice and persuade students to take up its mantle and advocate for changing the world. To go ahead and explicitly try and influence your students betrays the trust that they have placed in you. Instead, argue your point and try and lead students to make the decision to champion social justice and work towards making that dream a reality in their lifetime. This way they will feel as though their life has been well lived and they will have bought into the message you are promoting.
ReplyDelete-Sean McFadden
I do not believe it is the educator’s role to overtly work to make the world a better place. If teachers adapt this role lessons will become biased and there would be little room for the student to come up with their own ideas. Parents may be upset because they disagree that the world is just fine as is. However, I do believe that it’s the teacher’s role to make apparent social injustices, equip the student with knowledge to recognize them, and the skills they need to conquer them if the students’ chose. Some specific things that I would do as an educator to work toward social justice is exactly what I said in the previous sentence. Specifically I would incorporate those into biology lessons like as a journal entry just to get the students thinking about some social injustice.
ReplyDelete