A CULTURE OF FEAR: EDUCATION AND THE DISCONNECTED LIFE

Fear is fundamental to the human condition and to the academic culture. We will always have our fears, but we need to be our fears.

FEARS IN THE CLASSROOM

Some of my fears in the classroom are the following ones:

·         Fear of not being liked by my students: every time I am about to teach a new group, I wonder what kind of students I am going to have and what I can do in order to be liked by them. I have learned that the only way to do so is by being yourself all the time. Being honest is the best way to show your students you are just like them; a person with fears, a person that makes mistakes, and a person who is willing to learn from each other. In the end, there are always students who like you, others who dislike you and sometimes, others that hate you. 

·         Fear of being the typical boring teacher: since students have different backgrounds, interests, motivations, learning styles and the like, it is really difficult to find a way in order to make classes fun and interesting for everybody. What may seem meaningful and nice for some students may seem for the birds for some others. It is our responsibility as teacher to try to come up with variety of “meaningful” activities that take into account students´ differences.  Besides, I have also learned that a “not-boring” class is not the one in which the teacher is telling jokes all the time, or the one in which students do whatever they want. A “not-boring” class is the one in which students feel engaged, motivated, comfortable, willing and free to participate. In order to do so, we must bring significant activities to our classrooms and forget about basing our lesson on the book, but on our students´ real needs. I totally agree with Palmer when she expresses, “The way we diagnose our students´ condition will determine the kind of remedy we offer” (P. 41 )This means that we need to think more of the condition our students have, and forget about prejudices in order to see them as they really are. In this way, we can offer a suitable remedy for their needs.  

  

·         Fear of finding the student from hell: “The student from hell is an archetype that can take male or female form.” (P. 43) I have had some students that misbehave and disrupt the class, and make the classroom a “hell”. I always wonder if I will have one next entry. I have also learned that sometimes they misbehave because of external factors such as family, economic, and even phycological problems, not necessarily because our class is boring. Sometimes, they just want to live in their own world while being in class. I have dealt with them by acknowledging they are not the center of the class; even though, they need special attention.  It is useful to let them know they are as important as the others. Some teachers focus more on the student from hell that on the rest, but this is not actually the solution. This only destroys hospitality because the student from hell feels pointed and overwhelmed, and the others feel ignored and displaced.        

BEING HOSPITABLE

Offering hospitability is key in order to create rapport in the classroom. Everybody likes being welcome and feeling important. A hospitable environment offers safety, freedom, motivation and confidence that enrich the learning process. One way to provide hospitality is by being objective and treating everybody in the same way; without preferences. Another way is by taking into account everybody´s opinions and differences. In this way, we can show them they are the center of the class. Being hospitable means being polite, gentle and nice. Hospitality means serving others.

Hospitality benefits students, but it benefits teacher even more because by being hospitable, we create a hospitable atmosphere in which the learning process flows adequately.           

A FEAR ONCE CONTROLLED ME

When I was in high school I realized I was afraid of looking at people´s eyes while talking to them. I was very shy, especially with girls. I needed to confront that fear if I wanted to socialize with people. I could overcome that problem by realizing about the mistake I was making. Then, I continued trying to keep on track by socializing more. I learned that having eye contact with the person you are talking to is really important since it means you are really paying attention to them. At the same time, it is a good way to have a more friendly and meaningful conversation. Nowadays, I am a teacher and I really try to continue working on this (since it is not the same talking to a person than talking to a class) in order to make my students feel important and willing to participate. Paraphrasing Palmer (page 40), I can say that I was freed from my fear neither by technique nor by structural reform but rather by insight into how and why my fear dominated my life.         

THE HIGHEST FORM OF LOVE

According to Evelyn Fox Keller the highest form of love is that that allows for intimacy without the annihilation of difference (P. 55). This kind of love can be developed in our classrooms by being authentic and letting students know they are free to speak their minds. Creating a space in which everybody feels free and engaged is our job as teachers. We also have to teach our students that the highest form of love does not necessarily mean to “love”, but to respect and accept everybody just the way they are. In the same way they would be able to apply that love in their real life. I mean, they will be able to be tolerant and respectful in a world full of differences; differences that make everybody unique and interesting. If teachers and students learn to love the world, everything will be better. We will learn how to deal with this heterogeneous world.