As a teacher, it can be easy to forget the amount of power you wield over the students in your classes. After all, to you, you are just a person living in this world who happens to have a particular job. You probably did not become a teacher because you wanted power. I know that was not my reasoning behind teaching. I became a teacher because I like seeing others succeed. It did not cross my mind how powerful I would be over others until I was in that position.

If you are a teacher, instructor, educator, trainer, or whatever title you choose to use, you have impacted your learners with your actions and reactions in the classroom. I am certain that at some point in your career you have done or said something and observed the reactions of your students, whether they be positive or not. You probably never intended anything you have said or done to be felt with apprehension or hurt feelings on the part of your students. Recognizing that we have done or said something that made a student fall silent, feel less, or singled out is a tough pill to swallow. Mainly because, in recognizing it, we understand that we may have impacted that student so greatly that it will reflect in their participation as a learner for all future learning and even deeper, it may have impacted their self esteem as a whole.

I believe we must also look at how we present material to students. Are we presenting something only from our perspective? Do we have a secret agenda, maybe even to ourselves, where opposite views from our own are not accepted? These questions are important ones because they dictate the level of power we hold over our students and the environment we create in the classroom.

So how do we create a classroom environment that uses our teacher power responsibly? This is a big question, with varying philosophies, but it seems to come down to what level of voice we give to our students, and how we react to that voice.

In Chapter 18 of The Skillful Teacher, titled Exercising Teacher Power Responsibly, Stephen D. Brookfield presents various views of how we wield power in the classroom. (Brookfield, 2015, pp 239-251) Are we of the view that students should have a say in what ideas we explore, how often we break, or what attendance policy should be in place? Or, are we of the view that this giving of power may render the teacher powerless and perhaps result in outcomes not being achieved? We know, as teachers that we often have to discuss information that students may find unimportant or show disinterest in, so what level of autonomy do we give them in this instance? If given choice, will students gravitate towards the comfortable, or will they be open to exploring new ideas? To what degree do we guide the student to a certain viewpoint?

Drawing on his own views, Brookfield presents three ways of thinking by looking to the philosophies of Ian Baptiste, bell hooks, and Herbert Marcuse. (Brookfield, 2015, pp 246-251) Baptiste desires recognition that we, as teachers, are directive in our actions, unable to truly be neutral, and do force an agenda. He believes that we cannot avoid imposing our agenda, and that we should in fact do so as a moral coercion. (Brookfield, 2015, pg 247) bell hooks views teaching as power, and defends this to the point of confrontation. She is the leader of her classroom, and enforces this by grading students for attendance and making participation in class discussion mandatory. (Brookfield, 2015, pg 250) Marcuse theorizes that it is crucial that students be exposed to opposite viewpoints so they can soundly come to their own decisions. If left to choice students will always gravitate towards what is comfortable and already supports how they think and feel, so they must be pushed to question and explore. (Brookfield, 2015, pg 249)

When it comes to my own teaching practice I often reflect back on my experiences as a student. I look to what helped me learn and what made me feel supported as a student, and try to emulate that. I venture to say that we probably all do that to some degree. But since we are all different, what works for one may not work for all. I will never be the very best to everyone all the time, but I can decide what sort of voice I give to the students that enter my classroom. That level may vary depending on what I want the outcome to be, and that is where the true power of being a teacher is. As long as I can defend my choices and maintain an ethical relationship with the student I am wielding my teacher power responsibly.

This post was created for PIDP 3260: Professional Practice as part of the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program at Vancouver Community College. You can access their website here. To access the School of Instructor Education Facebook page click here.

Reference list:

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillfull Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.