Engaged Pedagogy

"That learning process comes easiest to those of us who teach who also believe that there is an aspect of our vocation that is sacred; who believe that our work is not merely to share information but to share in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our students" (bell hooks, "Engaged Pedagogy," p. 67). 

Although I have never articulated it as well as bell hooks, one of the reasons I am becoming a teacher is so I can help my students grow as people and individuals.  hooks calls this sharing in the "intellectual and spiritual growth of our students."  School is not just for learning how to do math; it is not only for learning how to to spell words, write essays, or memorize historical facts.  Yes, math and spelling and essays and historical facts are important, but they must not be the only goal of education.  Those things are just the tools students acquire on their path to becoming healthy, well-rounded, curious adults who can use their knowledge to grow as individuals. 

I can relate this quote to my summers as a camp counselor working with eight to fourteen-year-old girls.  I taught girls a lot of skills while I was their counselor at summer camp.  They learned how to light fires, how to canoe and kayak, and how to set up a tent and cook a meal in the dark.  Although I wholeheartedly believe these are valuable skills to possess, I was most interested in helping the girls grow on a different level.  Yes, the girls learned how to light fires, but most importantly, they learned that they could light a fire, they were capable of setting up a tent by themselves, and they were tough enough to keep on canoeing through the wind even though they were tired.  These girls were used to being coddled.  Many of their parents treated them like fragile little girls.  I taught them to be strong, capable individuals who could take care of themselves.

Teachers in the classroom can do this too.  When I become a teacher, I want to challenge my students to think for themselves, make connections to their home life, and help them make important decisions about their futures.  I believe in what hooks said, that "there is an aspect of our vocation that is sacred."  Yes, teaching is about intellectual growth, but I can make it about all-around growth as well.