Cari McKee
EDUC 7718 fall 2014
My Biker Bar Moment
I am a relatively outgoing person but rarely put myself in spots where I feel totally out of touch. With that said, once I read about discussing a “biker bar” moment a distinct memory popped into my mind. It was my junior year in high school. I had a passion for cooking, well ok, at the time eating. My teacher was very sweet but immediately started to talk about terms I did not understand. Separating eggs? Does that mean I have to put them in a separate bowl? It seemed as though every other student in my class knew exactly what to do as she was talking. “Kneading” was a new term and “sifting” was not in my vocabulary. I began to thin this was a bad idea and not a class I should have been in. I was scared, anxious, and uncomfortable. I believe because I felt so out of touch not only with the teacher, and context but also my peers. It was horrifying. I wanted to drop the class and give up because I felt like an elephant in the room. It was my teacher who stopped me in the hallway and changed my mind. She told me, “The content will come, as long as you have passion and love, you can get through this I promise.” Those words have stuck with me and I am so glad they did. Twelve years later I have cooked a homemade peirogi for my ITDML class and published it! To me, cooking isn’t as scary as it was back in high school but it is now a sanctuary for me. A release from the “real world” as Gee called it.
Looking back on my “biker bar” moment I experienced in high school and comparing it to my students is not hard to do. I believe my students have also found themselves in their own “bike bar” moment. What I fear is it happens too often to them. Whether it be with school, work, or family my students struggle with many things. Unfortunately, urban setting schools are a hub for stress, anxiousness and fear. Fear of not knowing what is ahead of them as they walk home. Stress because with their mom working, they don’t know how they will feed their baby sister tonight. I have worked at my school now for seven years. There are many things I do to try and collect “data” on my students. But unfortunately, the truth is they aren’t thinking about math, science or reading today. They have a much bigger fear inside of them. In contrast, I do believe there is a way out of that lifestyle. My students seek compassion from a good role model. They seek trust in teachers although they are hesitant to give it. I do activities such as a “me triangle” and “bio poem” to develop a safe way for my students to express their feelings. Similar to their reading skills, their writing skills are lacking. In order to “jog their thinking” I do brain teasers and mental puzzle to force them to critically think. The first day I put on the board “pas” and the students needed to figure out what it is. To them it is pass spelled incorrectly. It isn’t until we discuss how things are not as they seem all the time. “Pas simply means incomplete pass”. The students all throw their hands up in the air as if it was an easy riddle to understand. We then have the conversation about misinterpretations and misconceptions. The benefit about health class is there are a lot of sharing about one’s own experiences. It is imperative for my students to understand that even though they may say something doesn’t mean it is always construed as what they want it to be.
Gee discusses judgments on different people and misconceptions. Gee also talks about how we should “appreciate language in its own social context” (Gee, J.2012; page 1). No matter if it is myself, my students or my administrators, judgments will be made. Our professional development days at the beginning of the school year is always deemed as a test my eyes similar to my evaluation of my students based on their attire and choice of seat on the first day. I believe the administrators are making those same judgments on us as teachers. Who is a good learner? I believe a good learner would be sitting in the front row with limited distractions such as their phone. Turkle discusses social context as being out of touch with the conversation. She talked about students, executives, and board members seeking an escape from the here and now by looking at their phone. I believe it is a natural concept to evaluate based on subconscious decisions. Even something as simple as your summer vacation can play a part in your “first evaluation.” The male teachers are usually doing yard work while the woman are taking care of the kids and carting them around to camps. You can also tell who is working off student loans or comfortable with their salary because they are either taking their annual family vacation or taking a drive to Rocky Neck. To others, being truthful is not an options. Just like Gee stated, “students hailed to be different kind of students in different classrooms”. Teachers are looked at in the same light. Some teachers have a “work face” on in one setting and a “crazy face” on in other settings only seen at end of the year parties (Gee. J, 2012; pg. 3). I believe as teachers we all follow the same basic morale, “every human as being capable of thinking and act as a responsible and intelligent citizen” (Gee, J. 2012; pg. 5). So thinking about the “biker bar” moment and the context from Gee and Turkle, does this give us more freedom or complicate my life by forcing me to remember the persona who belongs in a variety of situations? I believe it is difficult to answer. Many people act a certain way based on perceptions as Gee discussed. Others use technology as a source to “hide behind it”. A sense of comfort is acquired when dealing with technology. In contrast, I believe we have always put on a different identify based on where we are to feel a sense of endearment and acceptance. For example, on a football team congratulations are in the form of slapping each other’s backsides were as in other sports it is perceived as insulting behavior. We do not slap your opponent’s backside if they just birdied. Or when a driver is angry at the wheel may experience road rage but would be very different if the two people were walking side by side. Technology, however; has made it possible to wear many different masks and acquire many different identities. Part of the reason I believe so many people use social media and networking is to escape from the imperfections they believe are seen in them.
Gee and Turkle bring up very valid points about communication and the use of technology. To me, social media and the need to “fit in, so I have to snap chat” is assisting insecurities. Turkle talked about the goldilocks effect and keeping people not too close but not too far. Is that an effective way to communicate? Are we even communicating? I believe media has played a large role in how we see technology. Turkle discussed siri becoming more involved. Commercials such as Siri verses Cortana are demonstrating technology used as a companion. Is this what are world is turning into? Media has made technology a safe way to feel like you are not alone. Imagine, sitting in an elevator and not looking down at your device to make the silence seem more bearable. Based on what I see if society, I believe our students need to utilize technology but not “change who they are” according to Turkle. Technology can be a great tool when used properly but needs to be harnessed and understood. For example, developing an identity on the internet should be the same identity as a person.
In conclusion, digital text can be exciting and scary all at the same time. We can develop new identities and express ourselves in ways we couldn’t in person due to comfort level. Digital text can also be misconstrued in a different way such as the teacher posted a photo of what she thought to be funny with her students wearing duct tape on their mouth. Was it intended to embarrass her students or was it a simple misconception? Conceptions are always directed differently and seen different by others. Turkle states, “we expect more out of technology but less out of others”. My question is, what happens when the power goes out?
In response to writing this discussion I chose to use google docs. One of the main reasons I choose to use google docs is because I was able to access the information from anywhere. Being a physical education teacher, coach, and mom, I needed to be able to have my documents on the go. Also, I am new to google starting this year so I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. Although it isn't widely innovative I believe using google docs was a great way for me to portray my ideas in a format that was familiar. My hope is to eventually build enough confidence I would be able to use google docs in my classroom. In regards to who I can reach and what impact I have I believe is limited to the traditional pen and paper. My message is to be portrayed by my professor and my peers, but using google docs is an easy way to provide feedback and share assignments with peers. Many of my students do not have technology in their homes so an assignment they can produce in school and continue anywhere, even on their phone! I believe the impact I could have on my students with the ability to use google docs would only help them in the future.
Resources
- Gee, J. (2012). Social Linguistics and Literacies (4th ed). New York: Routledge.
- Turtle, Sherry. (2012, February). "Connected, but Alone."
- YouTube: Siri verses Cortland
- YouTube: Duct Tape
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