Chapter Four

Throughout this journey, and this assignment, the factor that has contributed most to my
personal thinking about learning and teaching have been the authors who accompanied me
along the way. Their words have helped me through difficult times, to experience a world
outside of my own, to construct new thoughts of my own, and to realise that authenticity is
key to life. (Gibbs, 2006). Each author gave a piece of themselves, their inner world, in the
hope, I think, that they could help just one person make sense of this experience we call life.
To say, its ok to be you, look at me being me. David Foster Wallace said (1997), What the
really great artists do is theyre entirely themselves...theyve got their own vision, they have
their own way of fracturing reality, and if its authentic and true, you will feel in in your nerve
endings. As a teacher, thats what I want to achieve; to encourage each student down the
path they choose, to introduce them to their own Frosts, Steinbecks, Quinns, and Camuss,
although hopefully my Seuss too. By knowing the influences that have shaped who I am, I
hope to enable my learners to begin to see that culture and education carry a heavy weight in
the shaping of our identities, and that these can work harmfully to affirm and reproduce the
differences we ascribe to groups and social classes (Bourdieu, 1986). The things that shape
our culture and education such as inherited socialisation and dominant ideologies are often
far from our reach, but those such as books, are so easily within our grasp to choose as we so
please.

In this piece of writing, this piece of me, I have made an effort to bring forth my authentic
identity by answering the big questions, or in some cases just acknowledging them, for this
journey of teacher is a constant path of discovery and rediscovery with no simple answer
(Gibbs, 2006). What seemed to be three distinct paths as I entered my twenties, I can now see

as one: the ever-winding path of self-discovery and understanding. This lifetime's worth of
back roads and paths have lead me to the place I stand today and shape my motivations for
wanting to be a teacher, and my desire to never cease learning. Dewey's words, Democracy
has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife" (p.139), have become the
brush, and my experiences the paint, with which I construct my teacher identity (Dewey &
Boydston, 1976). In becoming a teacher, I need to understand these motivations, to be aware
of the power with which they move my actions, and to acknowledge that not all students will
come from a similar place as me. It is now time for me to write my own path, to continue my
way down the never ending road of teacher and learner, by studying those before me and
those at my side, constantly reflecting on the steps I take in order to determine those to come.
My grandfather always told me end a speech with a quote, if someone else has already said it
best, steal from them and go out strong, and so I will.

And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable
thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it
wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which
limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. (Steinbeck, 2000,
p.131)