[Teaching_Composition] Discomfort and instructor perspectives

[Laura D Card]

To extend the issue even further--
I was talking to another composition teacher and she told me of another dimension she finds problematic--email. She says that students sometimes feel they can say just about anything (rude, angry, belittling, etc.) in an email message because they are not face to face with the teacher. She syas she struggles with asnwering such messages with respect and kindness. Then we talked for a while about teaching composition online (I taught exclusively online for two years) and how the written word, in such cases, is often the only means of communication between teacher and student and student and teacher and how difficult it is to know how to phrase comments or take comments when the writer is not right there to interpret.
Laura Card

-----Original Message-----
From: "Thelin,William" <wthelin@uakron.edu>
To: teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:04:21 -0400
Subject: RE: [Teaching_Composition] Discomfort and instructor perspectives

It would be nice if we can extend the issues Alex brings up.  Certainly
gender, race, sexuality, age, and nationality factor into the cultural
capital any instructor brings with him or her into the classroom.  Some
students will reject an instructor simply on his or her appearance.  How
much should we modify our teaching due to our students' reaction to us?
Alex talked about modeling behavior that encourages mutual respect.  Can
we use this and other techniques to break down the student-teacher
dichotomy?  I think the problem, whether we're dealing with ESL students
or not, is the role we're supposed to play--the expectations of a
teacher that often contradict the goal of critical, progressive,
democratic teaching.  At the heart of the ABR is a pretty static
conception of teaching that I think needs to be challenged.  Maybe we
can get some posts on this issue????

Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com
[mailto:teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com] On Behalf Of The
Teach
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:28 PM
To: teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com
Subject: Re: [Teaching_Composition] Discomfort and instructor
perspectives

> seriously and as important for learning. Many students can handle 
> themselves with respect to other students when the environment is 
> supportive. The role of the teacher is crucial here.
I agree. Anytime a level of discomfort occurs during discussion, the 
instructor must model behavior and encourage mutual respect.

> I teach first-year composition to ESL students. Many of my students' 
> cultures believe that to disagree with an instructor is to show great 
> disrespect to the instructor. If I voice my opinion, their cultures 
> restrain them from further exploration of issues.

Of course it depends upon the particular culture, but also I suggest the

gender of the teacher can be a factor. I have been told by female 
instructors teaching ESL classes that they are challenged as the
authority 
figure and that the students do not want to accept what the female 
instructor offers in a discussion.

It does not occur with all nationalities, but is something that I have 
been told more than once by the female ESL teachers.

What think ye?

alex
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