Blog #6 Who Cares about Apathy?

The dilemma that all teachers will face in a typical classroom is well said by Karen Wink.  "We are all familiar with students who prefer to remain uninvolved in class, passively following our instructions but never evidencing passion or curiosity" (84).  Wink surprised me with her premises because rather than simply share strategies for teaching around apathy, she shared personal experiences and ways to teach "through" apathy or to instruct moments when students question why they have to read or learn about something they are apathetic about.  The statement that is especially meaningful is a question that Galloway asked of the students.  "What am I doing and what am I not doing to influence this situation?" (85).  That question strikes me as essential to the issue of student involvement and participation.  I fully agree with Wink that "the teacher's experience of place can be the catalyst for transformation of learning" (86).  But, to encourage participation every teacher must find a way to get students to ask themselves the question of what they personally bring to the classroom and their personal voice.  The teacher's willingness to be vulnerable and share personal experience is the way to start and to generate honest and critical questions.  Wink shared her discomfort when challenged by a student,  "I wanted to challenge his assumptions and everyone's unexamined views.  I could not accept their passivity" (87).  This is where a teacher even in the discomfort of student doubt or questioning must model a safe place and by being personally invested creates a space for real, personal learning.  Students must be prompted and given room to ask the questions about a text and figure how it relates to them personally.  In the example of Derek who got jumped on by classmates, I like that she looked at him and brought him back into the classroom with her answer.  She obviously had created a space in her classroom where the students felt safe, because Derek later explained why he felt like he did and that he has a "problem with Emerson's philosophies" (88).  I note this whole example because it seems really important.   I am currently in a class where the professor presented material in a way that demonstrated his clear disagreement with the point of view of the author.  As a student, I felt the exact opposite, but given the dynamic of the classroom, who about half chuckled at some of his comments, there was no way I felt safe to speak up and say what I really thought.  To me this gets at the point of these articles.  Do we in the typical American classroom, really teach inclusion?   In my personal example, I felt the teacher was teaching his point of view.  My problem with it is the way he presented the material.  It was through lecturing, and he has set up his classroom in such a way that is not conducive to student participation and questioning of the material.  He definitely is modeling critical thinking and critical examination of a text.  But critical thinking should allow for all points of view sharing those points of view, but if students feel silenced or the structure of the classroom is such that questioning cannot take place it is not an effective English classroom.  On the other hand, I am learning in the classroom.  First, I'm learning the material, and am fully aware I don't have to agree with my teacher.  But secondly, and more importantly I'm learning to watch for teaching styles I do not want to emulate.
Raquel Cook's article ties in really well with Wink's observations.  In the aftermath of 9/11, Cook modeled honesty and personal reflection of issues that promote real learning.  When she shared her personal struggle with prejudice such as not riding in a taxi with a Middle-Eastern driver, she is displaying characteristics of what Wink call the "discomfort necessary for learning" (89).  Cook successfully found a way to present material that prompted student reflection and that got them involve themselves in an emotional level, which is where true learning can take place.  Initially, I was wondering how her world literature classroom was different from the "tourist" approach, but do think that a key difference is personal involvement and questioning.  Simply learning about other cultures on an academic level is different from looking at how culture shapes and informs literature.  In that interaction-of culture and literature- students can find a place to question and find their voice in the classroom.  Cook's theory of "embracing others" jumped out to me as the key difference for her.  If we fully engage, and learn about other people as people we engage in learning that promotes personal growth and finding of voice and are less likely to allow prejudice to be the basis of our decision making.   For me, this difficult part of this is how to create the space and promote learning that serves my students,  and to promote deep learning without forcing my point of view on students.