When I think of positions of power and the tension between being a colleague versus being the "boss" of a classroom I tend to think of Michael Scott. While I don't interpret Brookfield's Powertopia to mean that we're best friends with our student's, his desire to join students as team members exploring "intellectual territory" (p.238) is both captivating and inspiring. However, his conclusion that the power dynamic between students and teachers will always exist and can be wielded for empowerment or belittlement brings us back to reality. In teaching, how do we navigate inherent authority and inspiring connectivity?
The presence of power is unavoidable. I feel that in the classroom. Whether it's my power as the captain of the course or the power of the students rowing the vessel forward or the power of the external factors rocking the boat, there will always be forces pulling at the fabric of the classroom.
I thought the discussion on the necessary use of power for coercion was interesting and thought provoking. When the instructor can see the journey ahead are they wrong for setting the course? Should student's navigate their own path and encounter avoidable perils or miss critical opportunities? It was a very interesting and weighty ethical discussion.
As I consider my fluctuating role as a teacher I think about the way my teaching style evolves based on what student's need to learn versus what I think they need to learn. However, in the wise words of Micheal Scott, “Sometimes you have to take a break from being the kind of boss that’s always trying to teach people things. Sometimes you just have to be the boss of dancing.”
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