Who Are You?
A thought has been running through my mind this morning and it doesn't seem to be planning on leaving any time soon. I have things I need to get done (such as applying for more jobs for the coming school year), so I am hoping that this may help me at least share the thought well enough that I can worry about other things.
The thought is really more of a question. Who am I? Who are you? How do I define myself? How do you define yourself?
So often in our lives, we have opportunities to introduce ourselves to new people. I've mentioned before how I have this habit of introducing myself as Alex Valencic but, if I am writing my name, it is always Alex T. Valencic. After sharing my name, it is inevitable that someone will want to know more about me, and the first thing they ask is what I do. How we respond to this question says a lot about what we think of ourselves, I think.
When someone asks me what I do, I respond by either saying I am a teacher or I am a professional educator, depending on which term I feel like using at the time. The follow-up question is either, "Oh, really? What do you teach?" or "Where do you teach?" I tend to respond to either question by explaining that I work as a substitute teacher for Champaign, Mahomet, and, occasionally, Urbana. Of course, the real answer to the question of what I teach is that I teach children. But that is one of those more esoteric responses that comes off as somewhat pretentious, so I shy away from it.
But I have been wondering... is what I do for a living really how I want to define myself? Why don't I define myself as being a husband, or a brother, or a son? Why not define myself as being a friend? What about my work as a drug prevention specialist? Or my work with the Boy Scouts of America through the Cub Scouts?
I think it is because I simply frame my life in the understanding that I am an educator. It isn't just what I do professionally; it is who I am. There is a reason why I have a habit of sharing far more information in response to a question than is probably wanted. I even frame my familial roles within the framework of teaching. My work in drug prevention and in scouting is the same. So, for me, I am an educator.
And yet I don't believe this understanding of the relationship between vocation and who we are is the same for everyone. I could go through most of my immediate family and share what I would say if someone to ask me who they are and what they do, but Imight be would most likely be wrong. So I turn the question to you: who are you? Do you allow others to define you, or do you define yourself?
The thought is really more of a question. Who am I? Who are you? How do I define myself? How do you define yourself?
So often in our lives, we have opportunities to introduce ourselves to new people. I've mentioned before how I have this habit of introducing myself as Alex Valencic but, if I am writing my name, it is always Alex T. Valencic. After sharing my name, it is inevitable that someone will want to know more about me, and the first thing they ask is what I do. How we respond to this question says a lot about what we think of ourselves, I think.
When someone asks me what I do, I respond by either saying I am a teacher or I am a professional educator, depending on which term I feel like using at the time. The follow-up question is either, "Oh, really? What do you teach?" or "Where do you teach?" I tend to respond to either question by explaining that I work as a substitute teacher for Champaign, Mahomet, and, occasionally, Urbana. Of course, the real answer to the question of what I teach is that I teach children. But that is one of those more esoteric responses that comes off as somewhat pretentious, so I shy away from it.
But I have been wondering... is what I do for a living really how I want to define myself? Why don't I define myself as being a husband, or a brother, or a son? Why not define myself as being a friend? What about my work as a drug prevention specialist? Or my work with the Boy Scouts of America through the Cub Scouts?
I think it is because I simply frame my life in the understanding that I am an educator. It isn't just what I do professionally; it is who I am. There is a reason why I have a habit of sharing far more information in response to a question than is probably wanted. I even frame my familial roles within the framework of teaching. My work in drug prevention and in scouting is the same. So, for me, I am an educator.
And yet I don't believe this understanding of the relationship between vocation and who we are is the same for everyone. I could go through most of my immediate family and share what I would say if someone to ask me who they are and what they do, but I
Comments
Seriously, though: I know you put a great deal of emphasis on being an educator, and despite my own bitter rantings against the profession, there is no dishonor in that.
But I do want to suggest that when you wear that hat (or mask) outside the classroom and carry into other relationships and situations the role of "fount of knowledge" or "facilitator of greater awareness" or however you want to characterize the act of educating others, you essentially arrogate to yourself the dominant or central place in any configuration.
I would like to suggest that orienting yourself toward others as "the one who knows and will show all what is what" is potentially damaging to everyone involved, because the laborer is shaped by his work. If you claim that your work is to know, to share, to guide others who do not know or have, in other words, to educate--and then transplant that orientation to people outside the classroom in other walks of your life, you may experience conflict from some who do not wish to be taught or guided. You may find confrontations exploding out of your control if you are challenged and then seek to defend your educator's high ground. I'm not saying this has ever been the case; I'm just taking what you have written here and extrapolating the possible consequences.
A son, husband, brother, friend, or colleague who seeks to instruct family, friends and co-workers may become an irritant. It is better, perhaps, to put away the educator's hat when you leave the classroom, and seek rather to be a son, husband, brother, friend, or colleague when life calls upon you to be so.
More importantly, though, you did not answer the question for yourself. That is what interests me more.
That said, two people engaged (as we are) in stimulating conversation can teach and learn and delve into experience as a reference, and do so without fear that there will be a quiz later on this stuff.
And I did to answer your question. I wrote and deleted (wisely, probably) four paragraphs on "who I am." I believe, however, that who I am is best reflected in my nom de blog. I am that rather ill-defined creature one the edges of things whose only real pleasure is found in poking a stick at people (like yourself) who revel in the definitive statement. I am an annoying gadfly.
If you want to read some bookslinging adventures in Illinois, email me at the address at the top of my side bar, and I'll point you to some entries that are near you.