Morning Pages: July 31, 2002

All people have rights, including the right to be heard, the right to define the issues facing them and the right to take action on their own behalf. People also have the right to define themselves and not have negative labels imposed upon them.

To exist humanly is to name the world, to change it. Once named, the world in its turn reappears to be the namers as a problem and requires of them a new meaning. Human beings are not built in silence, but in word, in work, in action-reflection. (p. 69)

What I realized later was that I was forcing a change over which they had no control. In effect, because my teaching paradigm changed I was forcing a change in their learning paradigm. Their resistance was their attempt to "name their world" and they were exercising their right to take action on their own behalf. I realized then that my efforts to change were going to be difficult, if not impossible, unless students bought into my way of thinking. I wasn't ready to give up on them and I wasn't ready to give up on me. Here was one of those magical times when simply asking the students was a wise thing to do. I learned that what I perceived as resistance was really fear. What I perceived as a desire to take the easy way out was really a desire to do their best work and that they believed the old paradigm brought about their best work. I learned that they had little confidence in themselves as writers of anything, that they didn't think they had anything important to say or that anyone would listen. I learned that they didn't think they were learning by doing it my way (and I learned later that they didn't realize how much they were learning because it was different).

The point of all this is that when people are thrust into an unfamiliar place they react, often in a negative way; but, when people are invited into a space they have the choice to enter. In my own teaching I can only invite and it is up to my students as to whether or not they come in. I found that by showing them around the place first and telling them the reasons behind what I do, a lot more students voluntarily accepted my invitations. True, some of them only accepted because their "mother" told them too (since not accepting the invitation would result in a lower grade). The fact is that nobody has to come to my parties; but if they come, they have to accept the guests and the games and even what kind of cake we're having. Sure, once they are there I can accept suggestions such as playing badminton instead of dodge ball. Sure, we could run out to the store to get vanilla ice cream because someone doesn't like chocolate.

I think my overall point is we all have rights, yet with those rights come responsibilities and with choices come consequences. It's really up to each of us how to navigate through this notion of freedom...how to live with our choices and how to be open to change...

Change...an interesting concept to explore....