Tuesday, July 21, 2015
"What Would We Create?" by Patricia F. Carini
This reading is quite profound. It examines the infinite value of what it means to be human--a precious being and contributor to the spaces and places of life. It is very compelling to note that denial of the status of self is to separate the person from humanness. The author reminds us that it takes vigilance to keep alive the awareness of human complexity for if we turn away we deny the fullness of the person. "What isn't looked at ceases to be seen. What isn't seen is easily dismissed...What has no importance, what sinks from view, can be trampled and discarded." This has serious implications on our work with students and even colleagues. I think we must see one another, to recognize we each have a story and a perspective that is unique yet part of the collective experience of being human. The author goes on to describe how writing can be a medium of expression of the joy and pain of this life. It is so important to have an outlet for emotions and experiences, to validate and transform.
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Khieta, thank you for posting. Your recommendations have consistently stimulated my thinking. Writing is both a private act as self-expression and a public act as social recognition / justice. The quote above ("what isn't seen is easily dismissed...") aligns also with expectation. What we expect to see is easily discovered - if we expect our students to be a certain way, usually they are! I think it is important to have an overall structure of positive expectation based on what we believe is important (my students will work hard, will complete the essay, etc.) but be open to their unique perspectives that can surprise, and can deepen our understanding of what students are capable of and who they are.
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