Just when I thought the readings couldn't get better . . . . This whole chapter, Culture of Fear, is remarkable ~ from the sequences on fear to the student from hell ~ to be not afraid. Palmer just hits it.
I would like to focus on his discussion of Barbara McClintock vis-a-vis ojectivisim versus subjectivity. The fact that McClintock did not objectify her subject ~ the genious of her knowing being love ~ is quite revelational, considering the fact-based nature of science. Her approach opened avenues of understanding of genes never before considered. This reminds me of a marine-biologist whom I once heard speaking about coral polyps. He loving referred to them as individuals, placing a whole new spin on my appreciation and respect of coral as separate and special creatures.
Applying these thoughts to my own experience in teaching family public policy for the second time, once I overcame the fear of venturing into the unknown realm of set curriculum and incorporated such specific topics such as the impact on U.S. Japanese-American families of internment in camps during World Wat II, I began to teach more relevantly. I happened to be extremely interested in the internment, and my concern/outrage over it lead to some of my best teaching. With this inclusion, public policy was no longer just pages with statistics; it captured the students' imagination and deepened their understanding of its meaning and value of public policy when it protects human rights. In sum, fear definitely constricts us; but, as Palmer advocates "we do not need to
be our fear."
Thank you for sharing that example. As seen by your comment on my blog, we both value both a subjective and objective approach.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we need to be careful of presenting false dilemmas in our schools. We need to replace "or" with "and" in our conversations.
I'm just glad this class and both of your posts have given me new perspective on a subjective AND objective approach.
ReplyDeleteTeaching both art and science has shown me the extremes of situations involving both objective and subjective viewpoints.
It's helpful in both disciplines to sprinkle in a bit of the "other".