“I am what I am not yet.”
Philosopher and education
theorist Maxine Greene uses that phrase, in a sense, to describe her
ever-learning self. Similarly, I find this phrase applies to my sense of
un-doneness in my own education as well as in my teaching; I have experienced
much and learned more, but I still have work to do and new education vistas to
explore.
Entering a MA program after
20 years in the classroom is not something that one does casually. Even so, I
really was not sure what to expect. Would the readings be hard? After all, I
was used to looking for resources appropriate for high school students, not
graduate students. Would my professors lecture for two hours every time we met?
Would they be nice? Looking back, my concerns were at a pretty basic level.
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| Maxine Greene http://www.tc.columbia.edu/conferences/maxinegreene/ |
As
I near the end of my program and begin developing my final project, I reflect
back on some of the more formative experiences of the past 18 months. Though
most of my work has been what I call practical, my first paper required me to
stretch personally and intellectually in order to understand my topic and
explain it. During a class conversation in EDUC 585, one of my classmates
mentioned that I might enjoy the work and philosophy of Maxine Greene. I failed philosophy as an undergrad, so
I was not sure Greene would be for me.
I am intimidated
and humbled by Maxine Greene. Her
depth and breadth of thought and experience, her voracious consumption of
artistic works, and her prolific writings are mind-boggling. I am but the smallest of acorns to her
mighty oak. With that said, it is
also with deep relief that I read her works and interview those who know her or
who are influenced by her. For
many years, I have felt there is something more to education than our present
emphasis on standardized testing and common curriculum; now I know there is a
sound philosophy to support my belief.
Additionally, I
have been frustrated by the lack of spark in my students or what I would now
term a lack of Greene’s sense of ‘wide-awakeness’ (Goodman & Teel,
1998). After finding Maxine
Greene, I can better put a name to what I believe education should be: an
institution where individuals are respected and given the opportunity to bring
their own lived experience to education and where arts are not something to be
endured during school and to be avoided at all costs after graduation (to this
day, I still avoid ‘great literature’ because of my own negative experiences in
high school and college).
I have also
discovered that writings on such esoteric subjects as education theory can be
lyrical in the hands of a master.
Many of Greene’s articles, though scholarly, are so eloquent that I have
the impression they should be performed, which is only fitting.
Through this process,
I have also affirmed that in order to change anything educators must be
attentive and reflective. We must
ask: What does it mean? Why am I doing this? Did this work? Why or why not? How can I change my practice to empower
my students to value their own experience? In my interview with Jayne Delawter, she emphasized that
reflecting and searching within oneself is the way to become a more thoughtful
(or, perhaps, thought-full) human being.
“Unless the experience is reflected upon, it is just a bead on a chain”
(J. Delawter, personal communication, October 15, 2011) of experiences that
seem unrelated rather than the rich lived experience Maxine Greene believes we
can all have.
Works cited:
Goodman, J., & Teel, J.
(1998)). The passion of the possible: maxine greene, democratic
community, and education. In W. Pinar
(Ed.), The Passionate Mind of Maxine Greene: "I
am..not yet"
(pp. 60-75). London: Falmer Press.
Greene, M. (1998). Autobiographical
remembrance. In W. Pinar (Ed.), The
Passionate Mind
of Maxine
Greene: "I am..not yet" (pp. 9-12). London: Falmer Press.
