RE_5539

Summative- Self-Critique-Heather Holland

The first step towards knowledge is to know that we are ignorant. –Richard Cecil This quote by Richard Cecil seems so simple at first, but it truly exemplifies how I feel at the conclusion of this course. Before taking this course, I thought that I was a ‘pretty accepting person of other cultures, values, belief, etc.’ However, I have learned that I am not accepting of other peoples’ beliefs per se, but I am accepting of the “person” and who they are in relation to their own personal beliefs or ideas. I think of my best friend--Rose and myself. We could not be more opposite. My mother asked me one time, “Heather, how are you two friends? You don’t agree on anything?” I smiled, laughed, and said, “Because we are true friends. We respect each other’s differences and love each other for the person that we are. We get into lively debates, but we later laugh about it. We agree on very little, but that makes it interesting!” I remember back to the first “friendship” moments we had together. Her boyfriend of many years ended their relationship and in the same weekend her friend and co-worker was killed in a motorcycle accident (I am going somewhere with this…I promise). I was there for her at that moment. I didn’t care about her political viewpoint, her religious beliefs, or her ‘crazy’ ideas about woman’s lib…I cared about her! Later, when I needed support when I was going through a crisis, she was there for me! She traveled 600 miles, took time off work, and pulled me together when I needed someone most. It’s because of these “accepting” values that make our friendship great.
Now to the quote that I was supposed to choose from on the syllabus… First, I do not think that my style of learning parallels Michel Foucault’s quote because I do not believe that I have thought differently than I have thought before. I continue to think the same old way… but my ideas about people and who they are as a person, is what is the key component of my learning.
I must say that my learning reflects more of Judith Butler’s quote: “Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.”
In the beginning of my journey to find the quote that best exemplifies my learning, I shook my head at this quote because I immediately saw the words “critique”, “interrogations”, “sheltering”, and ‘constrained”. Then, the following phrases nipped at me: “not to celebrate difference” and “resists models of assimilation”. I did not stop there. I tried to figure it out. I could not decide why Dr. Jackson would put such a ‘negative’ quote on our syllabus. Of course, at this time, I did not understand the quote. Now, I think of this quote as more of critiquing of my thoughts and beliefs, as questioning the norm and the things that go on in society, and resisting the models of assimilation that expect us, as educations, to just do what everyone else does—accept things just how they are and not question “why”.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. In fact, I looked on ASU’s website for course offerings that were an extension of this one. I couldn’t find another course with a similar format or subject matter. Now, I will just have to be appreciative that this class stretched me and who I am, as a person and as an educator. I will not go back to my classroom in the fall and just take things as they appear. I will look deeper, try to understand the children God has given me, and love and accept them for the people they are.
Thanks for a great class (my first online course)!
Written by
Heather Holland