Curators, unite!

This week's readings deeply resonated with me, from both a pedagogical and personal perspective. Garcia and O'Donnell-Allen's reflection on curating your own curriculum stuck with me the most. Since I was a child, my intention has always been to end up as a museum curator. Even now that I am in the classroom, my passion still lies in museum work and still intend for curating to be my long-term career. I was so impacted by Garcia and O'Donnell-Allen's observation that teachers are curators as well because they were able to articulate a connection I have seen between the two fields for so long. I became a teacher before a curator for a multitude of reasons, but the primary one being I knew my experience in the classroom would help me exponentially in my museum work. My reasoning, though less articulate, was based in the idea that "the word "curate" originates from the Latin word curare, which means "to care," (page 89). Curators care about the material they are presenting to others, and therefore "research [and organize] relevant content," so it is accessible to their audience. Curators must also "contextualize the content," so consumers know all relevant parts of the content, otherwise they will not be able to form a deep understanding (page 89). Above all else, the intention curators hold is to share “a particular subject they care about,” with others (page 89). It is this claim that connects teaching and curating museum exhibits the most for me.

As a teacher, my primary concern is sharing important content with my students – content that will challenge, interest and fulfill them. This came to fruition when I taught a unit on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and presented students with a holistic view of the text. This means we critically examined how Native Americans have been treated in America throughout history, with a strong focus on Native American boarding schools. We also questioned whether this book should be read in schools anymore, as the author, Sherman Alexie, admitted to sexually assaulting women. When I have worked on curating exhibits in the past, my primary concern was the same, but for visitors of the museum. This is most memorable from my intensive research on what African communities were included in the “African and Egyptian” wing of the museum I worked at. Months of research led to the conclusion that a very small portion of communities were represented in the artifacts of or collection, which painted a skewed version of African history rooted in colonialism. It was important for me to share the history of Native Americans with my students, just as it was important for me to publicly disclose the shortcomings of our exhibit to visitors.

All of this being said, I can’t help but relate back to the Theories of Teaching we are examining in class. A good curator, whether they be a teacher or museum employee, should vary the types of literacies presented to an audience. Curators must use a critical approach to literacy – one that requires consumers to examine their own privilege and biases. Furthermore, content must present multiple perspectives through a variety of mediums. To return to my anecdote about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I attempted to present background information through videos, articles, brief lectures, and discussions. My intent was to provide an access point for all students, as “what it means to be literate is an ideological concept,” (Theories of Teaching). This concept is new to me, and admittedly not my strong suit. While I deeply agree with this claim and understand that “a multiple-process approach to literacy considers how student identities and social worlds affect their learning,” it is often difficult to implement this approach in the classroom. I find it particularly challenging because of time restraints and the strict curriculum I am provided and expected to implement at my school. This is an area I have been failing my students in, and I am eager to learn ways to improve in this class.

My final reflection is a simple one on the beautiful phrase, “Poetry unleashes my students’ verbal dexterity – it’s break dancing for the tongue,” (Christensen 14). When I first read this, I paused for a moment before rereading it two more times. This reflection on how poetry impacts students is an excellent example of using a critical approach to literacy. From Christensen’s anecdote, I can surmise that her students are encouraged to explore all forms of poetry throughout the school year, whether it be spoken word, rap or written. This allows students to find what works for them, and hopefully, a form of poetry they love. If it weren’t for my Sophomore English teacher presenting various types of poetry for my class to study, I wouldn’t have had this discovery myself.