The End of an Era

Today was one of my last classes in my Bachelor of Education. Not only was it the second last class, but it was the only class where we initiated discussion on a vast array of topics ranging from First Nations Metis and Inuit peoples, ageism, classism, racism, heteronormativity, ableism, mental health and the list continues. Although I walked into this class thinking it would be interesting based on the topics, what I did not expect was to make some life long friends as a result of our shared values and opinions in these discussions. 

                                  

I won't lie, there were weeks where I was not able to complete the weekly course readings, but what made this class engaging and interactive was the fact that our instructor pretty much had a contingency plan every week for students who did not complete them. This is something that I will take with me in my future endeavours as a teacher. Furthermore the importance of building a rapport with my students, and being careful of my body language, expressions and responses to student answers is a vital lesson I learned from this class. Everyone in this class was reluctant to speak out on certain issues in the beginning of the year because of the controversial subject matter, the fear of seeming ignorant in front of peers, and various other reasons. But as we began to have more and more classes together, this was not an issue anymore. What made the biggest difference? It was building a rapport with students, and creating a comforting classroom environment. It was not the fact that we became extremely knowledgable during those weeks (since it was a new topic every week), but instead it was the sense of comfort and feeling safe in an environment which allows your true colours to shine. 

So How Do We Create A Safe Environment? 

The answer lies in all the implications of the various issues we discussed. Yes, there were many many implications. And yes, we did not know the answers to how to solve classism, or white privilege, or tokenism or even finding solace between religious freedom and gender roles. But what we did learn about is the fact that there is a controversy, that there is a debate going on, that there are people oppressing and people suffering under these issues. The fact that we have the knowledge and insight of these issues, allows us to acknowledge and empathize with a large number of people who do suffer from these injustices. Although we may not have a clear cut answer, we are aware of the issues going on and we can gear our future classes in such a way that we can stop the oppression, or make our students critically aware of why what they are saying is offensive. We get to create a safe classroom environment in this light, where no one is judged. All we need to do is take one small step, followed by another, and start the trend. The first small step is learning about the issue, the next step is spreading awareness before a solution can be made. 

At the end of the day, it is an end of an era. An era of enlightenment, hard work, lots of laughter, and great discussions. I wish good luck to all the rest of my colleagues finishing their Bachelor of Education with me this term, and to enjoy every minute of their future careers as educators in the classroom.