I am choosing to write my critical summary on the topic of Love and the Curriculum. I chose this because it aligns with my personal teaching manifesto and how I like to lead with love in my heart, every day. It also intrigued me because I am an English major for secondary teaching, and with English the topic of love is so prominent in a lot of literature, for example Shakespeare. The article I have selected for my main focus is called “A Curriculum of Love” written by Erik Gleibermann who is a social justice educator in the field of teaching, a culture and literary critic, and an international journalist. His article is so rich in content and challenges us to consider a curriculum centered in deep connectedness. It lightly criticizes the product model, by explaining how this is not a topic that can be tested nor taught at a desk taking notes or staring at a computer. But rather, the pedagogy of the teacher is what makes this an accessible topic if delivered correctly.
My favourite part of his article, which I am excited to expand more on and dive deeper into, is the strategy of teaching love to all ages from K-12. Our lessons must fit within a developmentally appropriate approach, focusing on the different aspects of love in each stage of life. We don’t need to ask grade ones what intimacy means, but we can teach them how love can be shown by the act of sharing their recess toys. The article also points out the importance of teaching that love is not just present in human relations, but how we interact with our entire environment. Two simple examples are; animals and the earth.
My next steps towards completing this assignment will be researching other theorists and articles that believe love is something that does not belong in the classroom. There is no shortage of visceral push back from a society that thinks love is a soft subject, that doesn’t even need to be acknowledged let alone taught about. People have an instinct to fear any exploration of our spiritual nature, but by integrating knowledge about love into the curriculum we take a step towards breaking that stigma.
The way you talk about love and your personal manifesto was wonderful. How would you go about talking on alternative forms of love?(such as platonic, familial, etc) “there is no shortage of visceral pushback from a society that thinks love is a soft subject” is wonderfully poetic and profound
Hi there, I really enjoyed your outlook/topic on this assignment. I like how you chose something that has meaning to you and has something you are very passionate about. Your next steps provided create a good outlook and variety of ideas and different opinions about love and curriculum. My question for you is: is there any specific theorist you are interested in that is connected to this topic?