My Thoughts on Dr. Donna Swapp’s Presentation

Dr. Donna Swapp was a guest speaker in my ECS 101 class on November 1st, 2021. Her lecture was on culturally responsive education. It was a fascinating presentation, and I learnt a lot. There were two things she said that resonated with me:

Treat Others the Way THEY Want to be Treated

The Teacher Can Be Wrong

Everyone knows the golden rule; treat others the way you want to be treated. Dr. Swapp introduced a new golden rule; treat others how they want to be treated. This stuck with me. I never saw a problem with the old one until I heard the revised version. Treating others the way you want to be treated could be disrespectful and offensive to the people you are around. If you treat people how they want to be treated, it guarantees that you are treating them with the respect they deserve. 

The other statement, Dr. Swapp, said was along the lines of the teacher can be wrong. This is a good thing to reinforce to your students, so they can tell you if they disagree or have a different opinion. However, it is important to teach your students how to be respectful, even if they disagree.