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Articles Conference Reviews |
2008B37FulwilerGoing Public: Can Teachers Find a Public Voice?
Everything about “Going Public: Can Teachers find a Public Voice?” was different than any session I attended at the recent 4Cs. For one thing, Hephzibah Roskelly and Rebecca Jones sat with us rather than behind the banquet table. Then Roskelly greeted every newcomer by name and asked us to introduce ourselves to each other. It was like a class reunion. Or even a family reunion without aluminum lawn chairs and plastic coolers of generic soda. Given the topic of civic engagement, this warm atmosphere of communal engagement made perfect sense and was a welcomed change from cavernous halls scattered with lone attendees reading their program schedule. The original line-up included Dale Jacobs (University of Windsor) and Kate Ronald (Miami University), but neither was able to attend. Though their presence would have added even more to this session, their absence didn’t diminish the engaging conversation that took place. In fact, Jones and Roskelly presented in the form of a reciprocal exchange, often adding to one another’s ideas in rich ways. They began their session (as they begin their own classes) by telling us what was on their minds (“I’m thinking of…”) and how it intersected with the topic of civic action in the classrooms. Thus, their practice modeled moving theory into classroom action. Meditations such as the following framed their subsequent presentation: Cheryl Glenn’s “call to action”, the rhetoric of No Child Left Behind, the culture of violence, and the gaps between our words and the lives of our students. This last thought prompted Roskelly to ask us: “What is our role in terms of public action in regards to education? What difference does it make what we do in the classroom?” Rebecca Jones: “The Good Teacher Speaking Well” Jones traced the intersection of the public sphere and public education. Using William J. Reese’s book, America's Public Schools: From the Common School to No Child Left Behind, Jones reminded us the ways in which the ideals of public education often cover up the real agendas such as homogenizing immigrants or creating schools as “the” answer to a host of public “ills.” Beginning with Plato and Quintilian, schools have been considered the entry to public discourse, where individuals gather around a master for moral instruction. Reminding us of the social, economic, racial, and gendered worldviews that create and perpetuate our ideas of education, Jones’s presentation asked important questions about the role of the educator in such an institution. Hephzibah Roskelly: University of North Carolina Greensboro Roskelly’s presentation built upon Jones’ historical outline by showing us how schools were quite literally built apart from society. The architectural and aesthetic implications of school buildings resulted in the “hermetically sealed world of academe” still evident today judging by the large number of windowless classrooms. The divide between the “public” community and the “private” classroom positions the classroom as a space apart from civic action. So, as Roskelly asked, “What’s a teacher to do?” The central argument Roskelly presented was the need to reconceive of the classroom itself as a civic arena. While service-learning and community initiatives are important, they too often perpetuate the divide between the work of the course and the work of the world. Roskelly invited us to consider how the courses we teach, the texts we choose, and the writing we assign are all opportunities for action. Quoting Dewey, Roskelly said: “We need to find a way to see public action in the classroom—as a site of civic action and responsibility. We need to believe in the classroom as an “experience.” At the end of the session there was a lively discussion about the complexities of responsible teaching. Roskelly reminded us that “we’ve got to teach courage as well as exhibit it.” The session went long, people were pounding on the doors, and we reluctantly gathered our bags to return to the sterile world of the hotel conference. But Jones and Roskelly showed us how to turn a room full of strangers into an engaged and committed community in only 75 minutes. Imagine what’s possible in a whole semester! |