I have
over the years subjected readers of this blog to some very long, even essay-length,
posts. This time, I offer my shortest, a reflection on the value of small
gestures in our teaching.
Asao
Inoue, this year’s chair of the Conference on College Composition and
Communication, asked a number of members to write brief (200 words max)
reflections on the interrelation of literacy, language, and social justice, a
topic of special importance these days. The topic can also be daunting—where to
begin?—and in this little piece of writing, I simply wanted to remind us of the
impact of the work we do in our classrooms—and especially the small but
significant ways we demonstrate commitment and decency.
***
I
value the small stuff. The teacher who encourages a hesitant question; who
remembers a student’s name outside the classroom; who in discussing a paper
suggests a book, a podcast, a movie; who spends an extra five minutes in a
conference; who checks in with a student who had difficulty with the last
assignment. These are everyday signs of commitment, micro-evidence of care.
Over
the years, I’ve interviewed a lot of students from kindergarten to adult
education, and I’ve been struck by how meaningful the small stuff is to them,
particularly to those students who feel out of place and, in some cases, are
having a hard time of it. These behaviors register, I think, because of their
everydayness, because they seem to flow naturally from who a particular teacher
is and therefore are experienced as real, authentic. They signal that you, the
student, matter, that your development is valuable, that you belong here.
Of
course, the big things are important: curriculum, and pedagogy, and
professional and political activities beyond the classroom. Of course. But a
just and decent world is also created through the moment-by-moment interactions
that foster growth and local community.
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