It’s difficult to pin-point the purpose of education – I believe education holds a different purpose for each student who walks into your classroom. I believe that you decide what kind of teacher you need to be when you meet your students for the first time and ask yourself who do I need to be for these children? Of course the obvious purpose of education is to learn and to meet objectives, outcomes and indicators; however, education is so much more than academics. My identity as a pre-service teacher feels like it’s constantly changing, but one aspect has stayed consistent: I chose this career because I want to have the opportunities to choose to make a difference in people’s lives.
This course – along with my other courses – have made me see all the ways that I am capable of making these differences. I’m realizing that to truly make a difference, being kind and understanding will only take you so far. When you break through moments of uncomfortableness and let go of apprehensions, that’s when the real change and progression takes place. So, my biggest appreciation from this course is learning how to navigate critical and uncomfortable conversations or situations. One aspect of my beliefs has changed from this course, and that was the belief that my responsibility was to “correct so many generations of bad faith and cruelty,” as James Baldwin writes in A Talk to Teachers. I’ve realized that I will only be able to do so much, and I cannot be a “saviour” of this generation. What I can do is teach students to have an open mind, to recognize injustices, and to be the best version of themselves. A year from now I may look back at this and have a completely different view; but for now, I’m accepting the limits of my career, but also the boundless opportunities to model the person that I want my students to become.