#itsj

like that time I had 3 exams (physics, algebra and linear algebra) and I came up with the idea of learning russian

What are some ways to create non-reformist reforms in education that focus building trans-formative relationships (students- teachers, school-community, students- students, and students to themselves) at all schools? It’s not about who you are but what you do.

I felt compelled to explore my question more about how to take what I learn from ITSJ and apply it to systematically transforming American Education. My focus is still on transforming American Education, and I would like to add to my focus the trans-formative work it takes to build relationships in contemporary American Education.

I’m inspired by, Bell Hooks described the energy of “Eros and Eroticism” that is like a deep connection with the body, the identity and experiential learning, as a process of passion to the work that we do- based on respect for the body (or lived experience, which doesn’t discredit the academic head, but places emphasis on the most devalued knowledge). It’s not a solely sexual response. However, the other aspect is since terms like “Love” and “Eroticism” are so ingrained into popular culture, that how can teachers and parents ever say that “love” and “eroticism” are tied up in those toxic definitions?

In K-12 education, many students are afforded the opportunity to explore relationships to other people and including themselves.This is no reason for schools to celebrate; human beings can form relationships without schools. But, schools (whether K-12 or college) tend to form our relationships to other people and to ourselves through punitive measures. and a lack of focus on identity and the body. Schools can be a place where children can learn about how their bodies work, consent, a celebration of differences in culture and an understanding of history to allow us to make sense of the world today.

The ubiquity of media and social media platforms encourage a polarization of political views through not just individual choice, but also through an algorithmic formulation which shows you what you want to see. In the midst of such processes, how can we address and mediate differences that we feel so emotionally invested in? 

I am thinking through “Sick Woman Theory” which builds upon Hannah Arendt’s definition of the political as a public performance, and reconceptualizes politics as ingrained in our very existence (simply being, the private, is political). Perhaps this way of conceiving the ‘political’ would help those privileged enough to see their being as depolitical to view from a lens not colorblind, not anti-political, and help mediate the increasingly binary disparity between the “left” and “right”. (Thinking also about how “PC” is demonstrated in mainstream media and is often times seen as “policing” freedom of speech.)