So it’s a late Wednesday night, which means my classes for the first week are finished. (Yes, it’s nice to only have classes two days of the week. No, it’s not so nice to have 8 straight hours of classes in one afternoon – and it won’t be any nicer once B-track reconvenes).

In any case, I’m not here to whine about the amount of work and reading I’m in store for. Instead, I wanted to talk a little bit about what happens to everyone during their first day as a student or at many a job: making introductions. When meeting other teachers, the exchange is usually something like:
-So, what do you teach?
-Oh, me? I teach 11th and 12th grade English. And you?
-I’m stuck with some huge Algebra 1a classes and one section of geometry.
-I’ve heard that those Algebra 1 classes are big this year. That’s too bad. I bet we have some overlap in students with your geometry class.
-etc.

Both parties have connected, recognized that they may have something further to say down the road and the conversation could either end there or not. In any case, I digress. The point is that when teachers meet, they introduce themselves by discussing content area and grade taught and location they teach at. With some variation, this seems par for the course.

On the other hand, introductions in the ol’ I.T. means – aside from your name, area of study and year – describing your areas of research and interests. I can genuinely say I am interested in the research and interests I’ve heard my peers discuss. I’m really thrilled. If anything, the interest to specialize in specific areas of practice that – at least ideally – should reverberate in the halls of Manual Arts and its ilk is exactly the kind of fervor I’d want to see in a school’s faculty.*

Like the program I’m in, I’m a big proponent of praxis. It was the verbalized and underlying goal of my Masters/credentialing program. However, as far as adapting theory into regular practice, it’s not the kind of activity you see many teachers taking up. Sure, curricular design is something that we’ll do here and there, but it pretty much stops there. As teachers, most of us wait to receive faux-research articles from our administrative team for us to balk at. The impetus for actual theory being discussed by classroom teachers is lacking. (Yes, these are sweeping generalizations.)  As such, this week’s series of introductions reminds me that this push towards praxis is all too one sided. Further, it shows me something to initiate back at Manual: a precedent for discussing my current research interests. Hopefully my colleagues will take up the challenge.

*Speaking of specialization, I’m pretty sure Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller would pretty dissapointed with any talk of the sort.