The one thing that everyone
in the world needs is a teacher. People survive without material commodities,
modern amenities or technology, but they all need mentors. Having the privilege of studying at an elite
college like Bryn Mawr brings with it a responsibility to utilize my education
to benefit those who do not have access to such opportunities. Education is
salient for this entire matrix of psychosocial ills, to contest poverty and
prejudice in the communities that need it most. Ameliorating the opportunity
gap requires pairing privilege with responsibility, vulnerability and
compassion, practicing sensitivity and inspiring exchange of knowledge, all
contextualized within the tenets of intellectualism and activism. My vision is
for all of my students to be impassioned global citizens, and it is only
through exposure and dialogue that they can transcend the microcosm of the
neighborhood or their block. I want them to be aware of systemic
inequities, and have the drive and wherewithal to combat them. I want them to
actively engage in furthering their education -- both within and beyond the context
of the classroom. I envision education
as a reciprocal exchange of ideas, giving credence to many styles of
intelligence and differently-abled abilities, both culturally responsive and
inherently respectful.
My
classroom is one in which it is safe to make mistakes, as that is how we grow.
Gratitude for what we have is underpinned by the unmasking of privilege,
as well as the responsibility to help others less fortunate. Academic and
personal integrity are basic tenets, as are empathy and humility. Self-reflection
and innovation are the tools we use to further our learning in an urgent,
passionate, and joyful way. My
students benefit from pedagogy based on mutual engagement, fostering
relationships that move beyond the limitations of traditional roles, identities,
conscriptions of gender/class/race/socio-economic status. Focusing on upcoming generations of leaders
incites innovation and progress, and fosters continuity of civic engagement for
these students, who will in turn become role models for their peers. Indeed, having high expectations and
competitive rigor means balancing on the fulcrum of both access and
challenge. In conceiving of teaching and
learning as a mutual exchange, one sidesteps the ethical pitfall of
savior-mentality, which inculcates the prevailing canonical curricula and
elides the ideas of those upon whom it is foisted. Students should be
encouraged to find their own voices; as Kahlil Gibran wrote, a good teacher
“does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the
threshold of your own mind.”
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