After discussing in the class the role of the instructor and coming to the conclusion, albeit much differently than my own initial one, that instructors have the responsibility to be teach ethics so to speak, I found myself re-examining my own beliefs. In a previous post, I said that I found teaching about the issue itself could very well lead to a situation that would require someone affected by the issue at hand or that the students would adhere to my own ideas and beliefs thereby creating worse writing than it already is. I thought that having to discuss these issues would, inevitably, end up like Addy’s class with the tattooing of HIV positive individuals. However, I tried it anyway. Miraculously, they just didn’t care, and so not much happened. While a great relief to my mind, I do find it disconcerting that these issues were barely considered. Would these students be exposed to anything of the sort on their own? Would their views change? After doing some thinking in regards to my teaching philosophy as well, I found that I believe writing should be used as a means of self-discovery and understanding one’s own beliefs. But, that doesn’t seem to mesh with my avoidance of touchy issues, and so, I’ve undergone a change; a change that will force me to alter either my teaching or my belief by the end of the next semester. Only time will tell how it goes.
Dec 082015