Hi Samuel,
I agree that there is a lot to be said for the moment when it clicks for students in both STEM and humanities disciplines that there is value to be seen in the “other side.” I’m glad that you’re to a point in your education where you’re able to explore new topics to broaden your experiences and help you further develop your critical thinking skills. If you go into education after graduation, have you thought about how you will cultivate this kind of thinking in your classrooms? Thank you for the reflection this week.

Hi Pallavi,
Thank you for sharing this very real and vulnerable post with us. I am sorry that this has been your experience; I have never received SPOT survey feedback, but I can imagine that if this happened to me, it would crush my spirit. I think you are doing very important advocacy and human rights work and I know that you are making a positive impact in the lives of your students–even if some of them are entitled, disrespectful and downright petulant. Your work should bring you joy and so I hope that you are able to find this–whether you choose to remain in education or if you focus more on research. Thank you for engaging with this course–there is no doubt in my mind that you care and are learning valuable lessons that will help you regardless of how you decide to move forward in your career.

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I also had an experience of teaching at Virginia Tech. Many issues/questions/concerns have been circling in my mind after that class. Taking contemporary pedagogy answered many of them, and as you said, raised new question to be answered in the future! Thanks for your post!

Hi Robin,

Thank you for sharing this personal statement with us. It gives a glimpse at who you are as an educator and the journey that brought you to the realization that students need more than help with the technical information–they also need reassurance that they’re going to make it and that someone in their life cares. As educators, we have the privilege of being that person for our students and I so appreciate that it is this realization that drives you to want to be the best educator you can be for your students. Often in the semester, Arash and I have looked at each other and been like “how does she do it? 400 students? *mind blown*” and yet you do; you strive to facilitate learning while also seeing them as people. Thank you for choosing education as your calling. The world needs more teachers with a mindset like yours.

Hi Riya,
I agree that seeing our jobs as educators as a multi-faceted and extremely human endeavor is one of the biggest takeaways/realizations that we try to help students see during their time in this course. Your prof sounds like a great mentor and I am happy that you have had such a positive experience working with him and seeing the ways in which he is connecting with students on a very personal, human level. It is easy to think of the work we do in terms of quantity and trying to grade the quality; but it’s really about meeting each student where they are as a person and helping them grow into who they will become–whatever that means for each individual. Thank you for sharing this reflection and showing us the change in thinking/mindset that you have experienced this semester. No doubt it will have a profoundly positive impact on your future as an educator and your students will only benefit from their time studying with you.

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Very interesting point about the fluidity of not only the purposes but also the means and ways of education. Why people pursue knowledge is far more complex thing that can be categorized and the best hope is to help students ask themselves this question at least once and to recognize that even then, their answer might change as they experience it. Hopefully, the system gives them enough autonomy to self-direct some of what they believe is the ideal education for them.

Hi Cindy,
Thank you for sharing this story with us. I appreciate your reflection on the readings and also that you are connecting the message with your practice and leading by example for your co-workers, teachers and staff. I know that little boy (and his mama) appreciate your kindness and empathy during what was obviously an upsetting experience for the little fella. I hope that your actions set an example for the rest of your staff to actually do the right thing when the moment calls for it. Sometimes we are called to help students outside the parameters of the job description. When we can all see our students (especially children) as people and meet them where they are to help them grow into who they will become–well, that’s when we know we have done (or are at least doing) our jobs. Again, on behalf of that little boy and his mother, thank you for your swift action and care during his time of need.

Cindy, I appreciate you doing such a wonderful job for the little kid! Your story reminded me of the Ted Talk named “our loss of wisdom” by Barry Schwartz. In the talk, he illustrated an example of the job description of a hospital janitor where there is no single word about human beings even though moral skills including kindness, care, and empathy is an essential part of the job. Likewise, your job duty as a principal of an elementary school might not include taking care of kids in “that” situation, but you did the right thing! To paraphrase his talk again, I celebrate your colleagues and students for having “moral heroes”!

Hi Pallavi,
I can really understand you. This is a really important issue and requires to question its underlying causes, which is, I believe, very related to the existing cultural code in the US. As an international, I am teaching for the first time this semester and really can’t wait to see my evaluations and to see to what extent students will reflect un/similar attitudes. Yet the interesting thing I experienced last semester was that one of my professor from political science, who works on intersectionality – race, gender, class- and more importantly post-colonialism, stereotyped my country – Turkey – out of the blue by labeling all Turkish people being religiously conservative enough as they stared at her once they were drinking wine in Turkey during Ramadan. This might be the case but generalization while studying post-colonialism? My question is to what extent really education/being a professor/getting a Ph.D. from “fancy” universities/studying post-colonialism(!) can really break the existing biased to the other. But, I want to hope it can one day!

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Great post! I agree with you on the importance of encouraging our students to speak about the ways they can be active learners to make then more engaged in their own learning. They should feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions/needs freely without fear of reprimand or judgement. Just as you state, it absolutely should come from a place of compassion and empathy. We need more of that, everywhere.