Reflection for 3/13
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Kittle's podcast, I found her to be as honest and open a person could possibly be. One thing that I love about kittle is how self reflective she is. She is able to identify herself as a writer and the key factors that have inspired her to be the person that she is today, which requires lot of analytical self reflection. I feel that this is essential for a teacher to be able to do because in essence we are asking our students to do the same thing as they write. All good writers must reflect and analyze their work.
I also find it funny how she talks about how words were so difficult for her to use in order to produce what was in her mind, which is the complete opposite of what she is today, as Ms. Kittle is extremely articulate and masterful with her words.
I consistently see myself connecting to Kittle because of how honest she is. She does not portray herself as the perfect person or perfect teacher, rather she captures her vulnerabilities and her aspirations. Often times I feel that authors or theorist try to put themselves on a higher moral and intellectual ground then their readers, which leaves the reader disconnected or feeling bad about themselves, but not Kittle. I am so happy that I have been introduced to her, as she makes me feel more normal about my profession and more normal as a person.
I connect with Kittle's honesty as well. It's really nice to read and listen to an educator who, as you pointed out, is so self-reflective. When you pointed out that Kittle is so articulate now but continues to mention that she struggled, I think that shows how much she has worked on her writing. And I believe that shows anyone, students and teachers alike, that we can also grow as writers.
ReplyDeleteHey there! I agree with your post. Listening to a woman who has written a book and is o well respected as a writer tell her audience openly her fears and weakness as a writer (as pessimistic as it sounds) is very encouraging to hear. It tells us that we too with fears and doubts can always rise to the occasion. If as teachers we gain this kind of confidence we will be excited to transfer this confidence into the hands of our students.
ReplyDeleteTwo things you say definitely resonate with me, and I think I saw some other people writing about at least one of them as well. Presenting ourselves to our students as works in progress makes both us and our instruction more accessible to them. When I first started teaching, I wanted my students to call me by my first name simply to eliminate the sort of hierarchical structure that often seems inherent to teaching and to treat everything more like a workshop. Perhaps, we do need to maintain some professional distance and to demonstrate that we are credible and more experienced/talented at this point in our lives, as why as would we be qualified to teach them? But, then again, anyone can learn from anyone else, and exposing imperfections allows them to feel more comfortable with risk-taking. The other point you and Kittle make with which I identify is how language, itself, might be resistant to capturing certain experiences. This makes me think of Holocaust literature or any literature of atrocity and or trauma often becomes self-conscious with the difficulty if not impossibility of delineating seemingly ineffable experiences via written or oral verbal expression. So the fact that students sometimes struggle is not unique, as all writers at all levels may struggle with expression.
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