It's Sunday, the Bears game is on at 3:15. And it's not just any Bears game, it's the Bears v. Packers game, and I'm a Bears fan :-) What does this have to do with English or education? Absolutely nothing. So now it's time to write something provocative. Okay, I'm waiting....I'm waiting....
I've got nothing.
To be honest, I can't get my mind off of practicum. It starts tomorrow! I just drove to my placement today, I'm really bad with directions so if I'm going get lost I'd rather do it today than tomorrow morning. This may sound silly to some of you Iowans, but I've never had to drive past corn fields and cows to get to school. It was such a weird experience for me! When I called my mom and told her, her first reaction was to ask me if I actually got the right directions and didn't just end up at a big church. No mom, not unless churches have suddenly removed the crosses from the roof and replaced them with light up signs and yellow buses.
After I got over the fact that my placement isn't like what I'm used to- suburban landscape filled with strip malls, sprawling parking lots, and green squares of playgrounds- a new fear crept into my mind: what if the teacher I planned to be isn't the teacher that is right for the new setting I'm in? My whole life I have grown up in a democratic suburb with democratic suburban teachers. I feel like my understanding of what a teacher does and who a teacher is has been shaped by my educational experiences in my home setting (I know shocker, right?). But now I'm in a completely different setting, does that mean I have to be a completely different teacher? I know that I'll have to change my curricula or some teaching methods and tools for each class I teach (even within the same school), but now will I have to change myself too?
I guess I am realizing more than ever that the group of people who taught me, and the group of people who were in class with me, tended so have some of the similar thoughts and values. Again, what a shock I grew up in a certain culture. I guess the shock is that I never realized until now that northwest Chicago suburbs was a culture. Now that I know that, the bigger question- which I've been dancing around for the last 500 plus words)- is where do I fit in in this new culture of eastern Iowa City ruralness? What values, ideas, concepts do they all, for the most part, share and accept. Maybe I'm thinking to much into this, or maybe I'm still jostled from the fact that I passed by the street for my school three times before I could get a good look at the sign. After all, isn't part of school confronting ideas, or ideals, that you naturally accept in order to broaden understanding maybe even shift some of those ideas you believe in?
I guess I'm in for more learning than I thought this semester. I think though, that as long as I have my students' best interests at heart, and I show my passion for the material that I'll be a-okay.
First off, go Bears! :) I can understand your concern about the possibility of a culture clash, but having grown up in rural Illinois (and for all twenty-three years of my life having to explain that NO, despite the fact that I'm from IL, I live nowhere near Chicago!), I can say that I think you're going to find that rural values and ideals are not that different from what you're used to, or at least that there is enough diversity that you don't feel like a complete outsider. And I don't think it's about changing who you are, but rather about learning to adapt to the various situations we will likely all have to deal with as future teachers. I think adaptability is what makes a truly great teacher, not any one specific set of "teacherliness" (yes, I made that up!). I think your last paragraph is true of all of us. I didn't realize that until I read your post, but I'm sure we will certainly learn about things that we haven't even considered! Good luck at practicum! I hope we all come to practicum class on Thursday with lots of success stories! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above. You don't need to "bring a new personality" to be a good teacher in a place where you feel culturally different. If you really feel you're in a "different world" culturally, then I do think that the best thing to do would be to learn as much as you can about the culture of your students. The more you know about your students, the better you are able to understand them and meet their educational needs. If there are certain activities that people take part in here that people where you are from do not, then you could try out some of those activities. That's just an example. But I think that just getting to learn more about the students and their culture will give you a connection. It doesn't mean you have to change who you are. And besides, it also means you can bring something new to the students!
ReplyDeleteIt is very nerve racking to think about the fact that many of us will not end up teaching in a district that provides the same environment as the one that we grew up in. There will be different values, different cultures, different economic circumstances... We will need to be flexible and cooperative with the environment that we are in, without sacrificing the philosophies that we hold. Very interesting thought, Brittany
ReplyDeleteIt is possible to revise a self, just like we revise writing. What learning does, if we let it, is change us. I don't think you'll be the same after your practicum, Brittany, and nor would you want to be. The many things you'll learn will shape your emerging identity, and you'll feel a new sense of self through your growth. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYou brought up some really interesting points in this post. I have never actually thought a lot about the different styles a big city teacher would have as opposed to a smaller city teacher. I grew up in a community very similar to Iowa City, so I've never been exposed to urban schools, but I think learning about the area while bringing in your personal teaching style will make for a great teacher!
ReplyDeleteI never really thought that one day, I might have to teach in an area that is different than the place I grew up in. I always envisioned myself getting a job at one of the first few schools that I applied to that are all close to my hometown and nestled comfortably in the suburbs. Hopefully I'll be able to adjust, I'm a little freaked out about it right now. Haha.
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