TO ME TEACHING IS LIKE BAKING
1. Because, I cannot be afraid to get messy. Whether it’s making the most delectable goodie, or having hard discussions about inequality, racism, and diversity; when I am afraid to get messy, opportunities are missed. When I bake, I can take all the precautions but let’s face it, there is no neat way to do this. Just like the classroom and teaching my students, I will not take precautions, I will not hold back. I will not be afraid to utilize inquiry based and anti-oppressive pedagogies. I will allow my students to question EVERYTHING in the world that does not make sense to them. I will provide the encouragement, and safety for my students to talk about it. I will not be afraid to have those real and raw discussions. The messy ones.
• This metaphor acknowledges… “Anti-Racist educators understand that their positions as teachers… are positions of great privilege and power and that they have the ability to leave this world better than they found it.” (Pitts, J. 2020) What Anti-Racism Really Means for Educators. Learning For Justice. Topic 4: Anti-Racist Pedagogies, ECS 303 Curriculum & Pedagogy 2. Topic 5: Gender & Sexualities, ECS 3 Curriculum & Pedagogy 2.
2. Because, I need to use all the ingredients for the recipe to work out. In baking, it is important to use the eggs to bind the ingredients, baking powder so the cake can rise, sugar for sweetness, flour for the body, salt to balance the taste. Just like in the classroom, it is important I think about the ingredients I am given in the form of my students. I need to include everyone when I am planning my lessons and designing my classrooms. This is why there is such an importance to include the ingredients who are exceptional, neurodiverse, LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, and marginalized as I plan my classrooms and lessons to be equitable. So, they will work out.
• This metaphor acknowledges… Emily Style, the former founding co-director of the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity), “Half the curriculum walks in the door with the students.” (Will. M & Najarro, I. 2022). Topic 2: Treaty Education ECS 303 Curriculum & Pedagogy 2.
3. Because, understanding and following the directions do matter. For baking, when I do not follow the directions or use the proper techniques it is easy to mess up an entire recipe, the desired outcome. In a classroom I need to know and understand the directions and techniques I am using. Part of this is so I can achieve a desired outcome, or for when I intentionally break them, I can do it with purpose. Such as using differentiation and adjusting the learning environment, instruction, assessment, and resources to suit all learning needs. After all, some of the best baked goodies come from experimentation.
• (The metaphor acknowledges…Gregory, Gayle, (2013) Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn’t Fit All, SAGE publications. Topic 6: Differentiation & the Adaptive Dimension, ECS 303 Curriculum & Pedagogy 2.
4. Because there are many wonderful recipes to choose from. When I think of choosing a recipe for baking, I think of relationships. The sharing of knowledge, the joy from finally being told what that “secret” ingredient is, the time-honored tradition of passing down wisdom from generation to generation. Helping one another, reciprocity. Like teaching, I need to demonstrate reciprocity and acknowledge all our relations, “build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect.” (Truth and Reconciliation Council Calls to Action #63, 2015). I need to work collaboratively with my peers, sharing my own stories while actively listening to others.
• This metaphor acknowledges… Topic 1: Education for Ecological Understandings; Building Community, ECS 303 Curriculum & Pedagogy 2.