Hi Carlos – I appreciated your post as even reading through it, looking through the comments, and thinking about what I want to say – it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. You’re right; the words diversity and inclusion bring about all kinds of heavy feelings and opinions both positive and negative. It can be challenging to articulate experiences and perspectives about these topics in a way that is not offensive. The more we talk about it, the more I think it becomes easier though. When I took the Preparing the Professoriate course last semester, we talked a lot about the election and how it had impacted some of our students. I thought that there was no way that the discussion could go well, however it was very informative and everyone treated each other with respect. I also learned so much from my classmates. That course has helped to prepare me for some of the discussions that we are approaching this week in class, but I’m learning that it can take time and practice.
Author: Nicole Arnold
Comment on Why Fit in If We Were Born to Stand Out?* by Nicole Arnold
Diana – To address some of your questions and concerns, I do believe that the majority of professors care about diversity, however I think there is often a lack of education (especially for older generations) in how to create an inclusive classroom. Surely the statement above is more of an assumption based upon my personal experiences. Some of the things that professors do that can be deemed as exclusive, and sometimes inappropriate, can come from a place of ignorance. Now does this mean they get a free pass? No. If you didn’t know texting and driving was illegal and you were caught doing it, would that make it right? No. I do think that finding a way to steer individuals of authority (as well as those that are not) in the right direction in a sophisticated manner is important – or else they will continue to take the same action. May I suggest using the professor evaluations at the end of the year to describe how this activity made you feel? I think it is also helpful to provide the professor with suggestions (like Bethany’s comment).
Comment on The Authentic Teaching Self – Always a Work in Progress by Nicole Arnold
You can always borrow mine Qualla!
Comment on The Authentic Teaching Self – Always a Work in Progress by Nicole Arnold
*nuggets* – that’s for sure : )
Comment on The Authentic Teaching Self – Always a Work in Progress by Nicole Arnold
*See rant above* tehe.
Vulnerability always comes up in all of my “teaching” books. I think the moment you say “Ok, I’m going to allow some barriers to come down” rather than resisting, you’re doing yourself and everyone else a favor. Easier said than done right? It definitely helps to have very open and authentic conversations with classmates though. It sets the tone that we all aren’t perfect and we’re all here to help one another rather than to judge one another.
Comment on The Authentic Teaching Self – Always a Work in Progress by Nicole Arnold
Jason – I couldn’t agree with you more. My mother was previously a preschool and kindergarten teacher, also working part-time for elementary-high school at times. The amount of work that goes into teaching below the collegiate level is just unreal. I actually have many friends around my age that are in their first few years of teaching and just their social media posts exhaust me. These are the people we leave our children with and expect them to love them. They are helping to foster the minds of the next generation of engineers, scientists, teachers, etc. What a privilege! And then we treat them like dirt. I feel confident in saying that, as I am a North Carolina native, one of the lowest paying states when it comes to teachers in the United States. I’ve also witnessed a new era where instead of keeping good teachers around, schools tend to be more interested in hiring the young ones right out of school to 1. Pay them less and 2. To “mold” them. Maybe I’m just ranting at this point. Anywhooo I’ve had multiple teachers, even in my own department who were just given a class like “here you go.” Now go do something with it. After already spending a year and a half learning about pedagogical practices, I just can’t get over it all.
Comment on When my students leave the classroom, I wish they can … by Nicole Arnold
Armani – I hadn’t even really thought about the question of “what kind of people do I want my students to be?” when they leave my classroom. I have always more so asked myself “what do I want my students to learn?” before they leave my classroom. I like your question. It makes me rethink my perspective a bit as to how I want to teach the Introduction to Food Science course when I take it over. I would like my students to leave as kinder, more collaborative individuals so maybe I need to incorporate more partner or group work into the curriculum. Additionally, I think that I am so accustomed to continuing to go to school for so long that I forget that this is it for some students. They need to have certain knowledge and skills NOW before they leave for the workplace.
Comment on The Secret Sauce by Nicole Arnold
I think nervousness in itself makes people nervous when talking about it. It just isn’t a very comfortable topic. It requires vulnerability to tell someone else what makes you nervous, what happens when you are nervous, and what you have to do in order to rid yourself of some of this nervousness (Fowler article). Ok I’ll start… haha! I always get nervous before teaching or giving a presentation, sometimes more than others. When I get nervous, my heart starts to beat quickly and my mouth gets dry. I have to take deep breaths both before and while I’m in front of a crowd. I also try to have a water bottle on hand so that my dry mouth doesn’t lead to a coughing fit. There you go… I did it! However uncomfortable it may be, I do think the physical aspects of teaching should be talked about openly. I believe that the more we talk about it, the more we’re able to solve the issues associated with them rather than to hide them.
Comment on Understanding the How by Nicole Arnold
Sofia – My favorite part of your teaching model is the “Plan A, B, C, and D” aspect. I can most definitely take your advice of “it is critical to kill the panic!” It can be intimidating to be up in front of so many students, especially if you are mostly expending the energy. There are times when I’ve had to take a few deep breaths to keep myself calm. I agree that having multiple backup plans can help to diminish some of this stress. If you begin to flounder up at the podium, you can always transition into something else if you have it planned. I also see this working well for a class that may not be as engaged. If you have some students beginning to doze off one day, it would be good to have the capacity to switch gears at any given time to sort of allow everyone to reset. I also enjoyed the part about acknowledgement in regards to the students. Everyone deserves words of validation for a job well done. Some people need to hear it.
Comment on There is Nothing Permanent Except Change by Nicole Arnold
Haha – I like your idea of calling it a “warm-up routine.” That is exactly what it is in my mind. Sometimes I think it is helpful to do something similar every class period so that students can kind of expect what the start of the class will be like as they get situated. Personally, I like to get to my classes a few minutes early, if possible, as it really makes that much of a difference for me mentally when I’m rushed versus when I’ve had a chance to get myself in order.
