Yeah, of course! thanks for your comment.

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Robin, great post! Thank you for sharing this. You’re efforts and pursuit to become the best educator you can be to your students is inspiring. I really agree, that it connects the dots for what we’ve learned this semester. Teaching is far more than delivering information.

Great post! I’ve never thought of myself as privileged for studying what I am – Hispanic literature and history. But I suppose that I am! Thankfully, I was able to study what I am genuinely interested in, and my parents always supported that. They weren’t worried about my future income, but instead they encouraged me to work hard at whatever I was doing.

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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.

Susan, I really appreciate your post! I tend to be on the more introverted side, so it can be difficult for me to just reach out to classmates. I found that in my undergraduate studies, group work and group discussions helps to break the ice and find common interests with fellow classmates.

Your post made me think about the classes I teach. I always want students to work together and be friends…at least in the class. But what am I doing to encourage that? Perhaps I should be more mindful of that in the future.

I am teaching this semester, and this class made me question myself a lot about what I do in the classroom. As with your experience, I am also only responsible for lesson planning while everything is already provided and all of the TA’s have to follow the same schedule. I am looking forward to having a bit more freedom in the classroom, especially applying what we’ve learned this semester.

Great post! I really appreciate the definition you have writing of open pedagogy. I think the key word it freedom, this sense of freedom will encourage students to be more active. But on the other hand I can see how it can be difficult for professors, giving over some control is intimidating. This is where I think a good relationship with students is necessary, but being open I guess come with trust. So open pedagogy requires the instructor to trust students and vice versa.

Great post, thank you for sharing about India. I think that the biases you mentioned can be found in many cultures around the world. The problem, is of course, the bias that then leads to racism and discrimination. It is important to be aware of these bias, and recognize them and reflect on why. Perhaps we must challenge ourselves in this.

Great post, Shannon. I agree that there is value in both safe and brave spaces. I feel as though we can all benefit from both, at different times in different places. However, I do agree that there should be consent by the participants. Yes, it is good to be challenged and have difficult conversations, but not against our free will. In contrast, I think safe places are important but one can also benefit from stepping out of our safe space.

Riya, thank you for this post! Sounds like you did a lot of self-reflection, which is an important part of teaching. It’s true that we will never really be completely unbiased, but it is important to recognize it. I too, have stopped looking at names when grading and have made more of an effort with students that don’t participate as much in class. Unfortunately, until recently I didn’t realize that I am biased in the way I approach students, I tend to be more drawn to students that participate more because it makes me feel more fulfilled. which is just not okay!

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