Classroom Community

Looking at everyone's blogs, I quickly came to the realization of how different we all are. We've all taught that student whose personality is larger than life who wants to keep taking over. As teachers, we're all innately like that in one area or another. It's what makes us good teachers, but that's got to be a little ugly for our own teachers when we're all together. A group of teachers is like a crazy mix of fruit salad: we all love teaching, so from watermelon to peaches, we all belong in the bowl. Keeping all of us in the same bowl, while preserving our uniqueness, might be more of a challenge than Dr. Peterson envisions at this point. But that is the aim of a classroom culture: preserving uniqueness of the individual while maintaining the functionality of a learning environment.

I see my role as being a contributor without taking over. I could be considered a kiwi. Don't laugh. My flavor is aromatic yet mellow enough that the facilitator knows I'm there and learning without getting too strong a flavor in her mouth. Whether kiwi or cantaloupe, we can validate each other and boost one another's self esteem through discussion. Corny, I know. Sorry about that, but as learners in this master's cohort, we all have different, unique flavors that we shouldn't try to hide because the melding of flavors is great, but we should never forget: we're all in the same bowl. Maybe next time I should try a boating analogy.