Were you motivated by a teacher who changed your life?
When I was young, I never felt loved or cared for by teachers. I realize now that part of the reason was the control teachers wanted over my body. They wanted to control when I got up to sharpen my pencil, when I went to the restroom, ate, and the list goes on. Another reason I never felt loved or cared for was that the curriculum didn't include me or the history of my people. Most of the examples I learned about concerned white men. The material we read, people I learned shaped the world we lived in, and anyone of importance looked nothing like me. Other than the curriculum and systems that reinforced it, there were other reasons I felt out of place.
I remember one teacher, Sister Sheila, who told me that I would be barefoot and pregnant by the age of 16. Why she felt that was appropriate, I will never know. I do know that hurt people hurt people. As a teacher, I strive to keep the welfare of the children and adults in my care my top priority. I can only do this by developing and refining a reflective practice and making a consistent time and space for that practice. Another thing I can do is bring awareness to the preservice teachers and teachers I teach.
As I was scrolling through Twitter, I came across a post that highlighted the damage a teacher can do when they do not know what they do not know. When we never think to understand other people who are different from us, we are totally unaware of our biases. As teachers, we harm others with our implicit biases. It is human to be biased but when we aren't aware of our biases, we harm others when we think we are helping them.
As teachers, we wield tremendous power. Be aware of your effect on children and families.
I remember one teacher, Sister Sheila, who told me that I would be barefoot and pregnant by the age of 16. Why she felt that was appropriate, I will never know. I do know that hurt people hurt people. As a teacher, I strive to keep the welfare of the children and adults in my care my top priority. I can only do this by developing and refining a reflective practice and making a consistent time and space for that practice. Another thing I can do is bring awareness to the preservice teachers and teachers I teach.
As I was scrolling through Twitter, I came across a post that highlighted the damage a teacher can do when they do not know what they do not know. When we never think to understand other people who are different from us, we are totally unaware of our biases. As teachers, we harm others with our implicit biases. It is human to be biased but when we aren't aware of our biases, we harm others when we think we are helping them.
As teachers, we wield tremendous power. Be aware of your effect on children and families.
This post made me feel and made me think. I love that you shared how you feel and felt about how you were treated as a student in school.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I do not like Sister Sheila and the people she serves as archetype for.
That twitter post is a perfect example of how unexamined bias can cause people to make statements, which they feel are totally fine. My guess is that this teacher is mystified by the reaction that pointed out that she had hurt that family with her comments.