I will use my past experiences to help me with the responsibility of being a social justice educator. By taking the experiences that I have had as a learner and looking at them in a more critical and deeper way I can understand more, and that will reflect how I teach. Looking at experiences through a different lens can help us to understand other perspectives and ways.
The first experience I had was the one that related the most to the topics. The article that relates to this the most was from the ethical relationality unit. “There is nothing new in the idea that teachers have more success with their students when they create an inviting atmosphere in the classroom. Being inviting as a teacher focuses on how one relates to the students and how one creates a classroom space, both the social and physical environment, that motivates students to want to be there and to want to learn.” (Pirbhai-Illich & Martin, 2019)
‘In elementary school I was very shy, so having a kind teacher that cared was very important. A teacher that understood I was shy and that I was nervous to talk infront of everyone in the class. This teacher was Ms. Stewart, my grade 3 teacher. Ms. Stewart made her classroom an environment that every student could feel comfortable in. She was very caring and would check up on each of her students individually because not everyone was the same. She understood why some students were shy, and she respected that. She also got us doing some group work to talk with our classmates so we could come out of our shells and be less shy in class. After talking to my classmates and getting to know them more I became less shy. She was able to create a safe and comfortable atmosphere in her classroom for all her students. Ms. Stewart was a very caring, kind, and respectful teacher and I strive to be like her.’
What I didn’t include was looking at it through a deeper and more meaningful lens. I didn’t include why I thought she was like this, or what it seemed like her philosophy was. Instead of thinking deeply, I just told my story about who she was and what she was like, and what the experience was like for me.
This relates back to the article because Ms. Stewart was able to make an inviting atmosphere in her classroom that made me feel comfortable and welcomed.
The three main types of philosophies of education are teacher-centered philosophies, student-centered philosophies, and society centered philosophies. (Lynch, 2018) As a teacher your philosophy will most likely be centered around one of those. I believe that Ms. Stewart would have had a student-centered philosophy because her students always came first. Taking a new perspective and thinking about these philosophies and which one I think I would be, and the one that I would want to be in the student-centered one. Before taking this course I knew nothing about philosophies or that teachers even had them. I can now take a deeper look at different teachers I had and what I believe their philosophies were focused on. When I become a teacher I know my philosophy will constantly be changing with the new experiences I gain, and with the new things I am taught.
‘She was my grade 10 English teacher. This teacher wasn’t a kind teacher and she picked favourites. She treated a group of boys in the class very differently from everyone else. If I were to ask her a question she would look at me like I was dumb and give me a rude comment and sometimes I would get an answer, sometimes I wouldn’t. This teacher made the class very hard because I didn’t look forward to going to it, I actually dreaded going.’
This was one of my negative experiences that I wrote about. This is the opposite of the other experience I had. My teacher wasn’t inviting and didn’t make me feel comfortable in the classroom. I felt like I didn’t belong and that any work that I did was not good enough.
I included what I went through and my thoughts and feelings on this experience but I was only looking at it through my side. I think that when looking back on positive and negative experiences we should think about the other person’s side as well and see where they might be coming from. Another thing that I didn’t include was that for some things she was a good teacher. One day she introduced us to truth and reconciliation. She taught it really well and helped me to understand it. I just remember thinking of her as not a very good teacher from the one bad experience. “To raise awareness of the history and creation of the residential school system, its ongoing legacy, and how it has shaped the country we live in today. The teaching resources and educational programming we offer make it easier for the public to learn the truth about this tragic history.” (NCTR, n.d.) She also had us do research about residential schools and write an essay about a topic related to truth and reconciliation. Understanding why truth and reconciliation is so important and I am thankful that she taught me about it, and that I had the chance to learn more.
Being a social justice educator means a lot to me. I will incorporate this into my classroom everyday. I will teach my students about making a positive change in the world by connecting with them, discussing real world problems (if appropriate for their age), and discussing different perspectives. I will have time set aside to introduce topics about social justice, then continue to reinforce that topic throughout the day. I will use these reflections and experiences to help me with the idea of discussing different perspectives. In elementary school I wasn’t introduced to seeing thoughts from a different side, so I will want to bring that up in my classroom so that students can start learning it early on.
References
Education. NCTR. (n.d.). https://nctr.ca/education/.
Lynch, M. (2018, August 10). 5 things that educators should know about the philosophy of education. The Edvocate. https://www.theedadvocate.org/5-things-that-educators-should-know-about-the-philosophy-of-education/.
Pirbhai-Illich, F., & Martin, F. (2019, October 21). (PDF) “a relational approach To decolonizing education: Working with the concepts of invitation and hospitality”. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336701963_A_relational_approach_to_decolonizing_education_working_with_the_concepts_of_invitation_and_hospitality.