New Authenticity By Parmelee
Because I am a new Boulder-ite, new cultures, work place relationships and challenges are making this transition bolder for me. And intertwined with these new experiences is a question at the core: how do I remain true to who I am and who I have been, during this new season? One of my first introductions to the Boulder culture came on the bus. From my first ride I observed the culture of silence, which reminded me of living in England where reverse privacy, or respecting others’ space, is of the upmost value. So I am well-trained in avoiding eye contact and respecting silence. However, when I sat in a seat next to a woman who talked to me, I was shocked, and it must have shown on my face because her next words were, “Just being human, you know, being friendly.” Breaking the code of silence on the bus was this colloquial, coherent definition of authenticity. As a newcomer to the IEC, I have valued authentic interactions on three levels—informally with colleagues, professionally with collaboration and internally with myself. You will never know how much your casual conversations waiting in the copy room or staying late in an office have meant to me. Those r elaxed oppo r tunities to know you, your backgrounds and your unique personalities give me a sense of humanity in the workplace which transcends the frustrations of D2L. I value the opportunities to interact personally which highlights what values we have in common. Not only do casual conversations open up the human side of teaching, they also lead to collaboration and teamwork. Within this framework of sharing ideas, the opportunities for being more authentic grow. I have benefitted incredibly from the gifts of time, lesson plans and patient training and re-training that many of you have offered during these first terms. Collaboration is often negatively viewed as a last resort for teachers, as letting go of one’s secrets in teaching, of helping out someone because they are less able. But if the goal of collaboration is to increase the ingenuity and confidence of the whole team, then pooling resources and ideas is incredibly authentic. In my experience and research, collaboration in teaching is never copying or plagiarism or laziness. Collaboration does not result in mirrored lessons
Juniper Stoke’s artwork
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