When I decided to go back to school, my mother the guidance councilor questioned why English. She bemoaned (over and over and over) the grading of all the papers. My initial response was that you only have to grade what you assign, and I really love the freedom it enables you. The freedom to essential teach what you want- within the context of the classroom. I am ready to change the world... so I thought. This week's readings while strengthening this notion, has made me a bit afraid of a teacher's impact.
Last week Brufee through Trimbur wrote "How we teach is, is what we teach" (VV 464). This statement had a real impact on me, and it was only implying that education is not neutral. This weeks readings really drove home this notion on a much deeper level, indicating that what we teach can truly impact lives, more deeply than we may ever know. I love the idea of teaching students to think critically, (Berthoff and George) but how will topic choice affect them? Do I let them choose? Like Bizzell, in George, asks, "What is the legitimate authority of teachers, or any other orators?" (GT 108). I want to teach those shared values, that George discusses (GT 108), but how do we know if they are really all shared. I think they should be... but who am I?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment