Lectures that Resonate...

(Above abstract work: 'Mirror Image' By Alfred Gockel)

Today two powerful lectures really resonated with me. The first was at 12:30pm by Professor Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade, titled "Toward a Pedagogy of Indignation: A Master Plan for the Master Plan." Professor had wanted to share his presentation with our class since he will embark to Harvard University this Thursday to do the same presentation. It was a lecture that was so profound and powerful that I had tears rolling down my face. It was hard to contain them. This doesn't happen too often to me, when listening to lectures in a University. But, somehow something in his presentation really captured our attention. It was his delivery and his passion for his work - deeply personal and scholarly. Perhaps it was the way all the elements were put together in his powerpoint, not necessarily to romanticize the conditions of schooling, because it's pretty bad as we all know, but he called attention to the way educators can really make a difference in the lives of young people if they are truly committed to them. He said, "A future teacher once said to him but I can't devote all my time to my students, I have to have a life too." Professor responded to that student, "Then, shit, don't teach, and don't teach in my community because I don't want our children to believe that teachers don't have time for them, instead go teach in the upper-middle class suburbs and see if they feel any differently?" I was moved by that statement.

Professor Andrade also conceptualized 'hope' on three different levels and distinguished hope from optimism. It is uncommon to have hope, love, and commitment to be included in academic work. Those are 'touchy-feely' words that don't usually hold too much intellect in the University world, so to have a scholarly dissection of those words into concepts is quite unique. And, he talked about the 'social toxins' in our society that hurt young people that have been there even before they were born. I see this not only in the U.S. but in Hong Kong. He ended the lecture with a metaphor of a rose growing in concrete and he compared that to his community of East Oakland where despite harsh and oppressive conditions, young people still strive to make it. He said that's where hope lies in.

The second lecture that blew me away was at 4:00pm by Professor David Hemphill titled "The Discourse of Orientalism" by Cultural Theorist Edward Said. This was a powerful one because Said attempts to deconstruct a lot of the 'westernized' views of the Arab world perpetuated by the media and bad journalism. He said the Arab world is always portrayed as terrorist, threatening, and violent. Hegemonic powers in our world 'normalized' our views of 'others' as different or strange. Colonization is a heavy-handed way to 'brainwash' people to believe certain discourses that dictate our views of the world. Orientalism is the romanticized and exotic views of the Arab world. As I was listening to the lecture, I was thinking of Asia and Hong Kong and the British colonization of HK. The way our world has been colonized by Britain, France and the U.S. and how they justify colonization through control of people, making them believe they are inferior and second-class citizen and touting the 'west' as better in literature, in music, in art, in education, etc.... I see this so much. I was thinking, 'shit!' I am also responsible for constructing these discourses especially during my time teaching at Hong Kong.

Also, I used to hate it when people would use the word "oriental' to refer to people in Asia. That word derived from white Europeans and it even drives me more crazy hearing it used by other Asians. Until we can unpack and dissect these 'discourses' (discussions) on what people are and what they really are, we will not be able to be more authentic with who we are, how we relate to others, and what our world is damaged by. Dr. Hemphill ended the lecture with a positive note that educators can start to apply this to teaching. He said there's room for PRAXIS (practice & theory together) and more scholarly work and educational work must be done in that area.

So, today's lectures were very powerful and thought-provoking. It gave me a good reason to believe I came back to school for a reason. It also gave me the insight of what an educator has to do in this world. I hope I never lose sight of that commitment even if the going gets tough. This global world is very depressing sometimes, and it is through education, that I hope to make it differently if not for me then for the next generation. They deserve so much better than the crap we've done to this planet and to each other. Thanks for reading! ;-)