Confessions #3: How I am with students vs how I am with everyone else is so very different!

Students who I've worked with may possibly think I'm very friendly and patient and nice. Well, sorry, but I'm like that with almost anyone!

Why don't I ever hear teachers talk about how nervous they get teaching a class or how nervous they used to get when they started teaching? As if it all comes naturally! It does not. 

Here is confession #2 where I talk about my experiences teaching for the first time and when I judged a teacher for being bad when he was probably just nervous.

Have you ever been told that there is no such thing as a stupid question? Well, in real life, that's not true. People ask stupid questions all the time. 

Season 3 is all about my life as an educator, and as such, I hear all kinds of different questions and inquiries from students. I know why we say that there are no stupid questions, but, let's get real here. Of course there are.

A very special episode for me as this is the first ~*UNSCRIPTED*~ episode! I just wanted to sit down, relax, and look back on my time podcasting so far. I comment on some of my favorite episodes, behind the scenes details and things that I learned so far. Grab a glass of wine and wind down with me.

 

Thank you for sticking with me through my podcasting journey! I'll be back on February 16, 2021!

IG: @roa_podcast

Oh look, a book that I actually love! For this week's episode, I (re-)read Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. It's no secret that my favorite book genre is Young Adult Fantasy and this book is one that I think is the best that this genre has to offer. Why? Because the story is wonderful and magical, the writing is lyrical and beautiful. It quite literally slays.

Let me fangirl for a minute (or thirty). IG: @roa_podcast

As I get older, I realize more and more how important it is to know the history of the land I grew up in. It's the responsiblity of every responsible citizen to know the past as it shapes the society we live in today. This episode is on how this country, Canada, was founded on a land that was already occupied by the Indigenous peoples. I can't claim to know much, but this is a start. 

 

I read "Who's land is it anyway: A Manual for Decolonization", which is a collection of essays written by Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics, activists and allies and I lay out for you the functioning of colonization.

I always confuse these three terms. I sometimes use them interchangeably. It's hard for me to clearly and accurately express myself with these terms. If you're like me, I'm hoping that this episode clears things up for you a little bit. 

I read "White Fragility" by Robin Diangelo (2018) who clearly defines these three terms and explains what roles each play in our society. She also talks about why it's so hard for White people to talk about racism and I picked three reasons to share with you all. 

I learned so so much from reading this book! If you want to know more, I recommend you pick this up!

If you don't know who Richard Feynamn is, I'm here to tell you about him! This episode is a commentary on "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman!", an autobiography by the one of the most important theoretical physicists of the 20th century. 

He's not only known for being a brilliant scientist but also for being an excellent communicator, someone who is perfect for teaching and explaning complex theories in a way that is absorbable by a wide audience. I think everyone can learn a lot from such a character!

Don't worry, this episode isn't science-heavy. It's just me being a wannabe seeker of knowledge, rambling on about how I would love to have his curiosity and his natural drive to broaden his knowledge about the world.

Still reading Alan Chalmer's 'What is this thing called science' to talk more substance about the philosophy of science. I focus on some of the most influential theories that try to encompass a unviersal standard (or lack thereof) for how science is conducted, along with its strongest advocates. 

That includes positivism, inductivism, Karl Popper's falsificationism, Thomas Kuhn's paradigms, Lakatos's research programs and Feyerabend's anarchistic theory of science. Pheewww I know that's a lot. Think of this as a crash course of the philosophy of science that you never asked for!

Long title, I know. I almost don't need a description. This week, I talk about giving a classic a shot and how that went for me. Because I don't like reading classics, I easily chose the one that is considered the best one of all time: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I give a summary of the plot and main characters WITHOUT SPOILING (!!), I discuss two parts of the book I found interesting (sad I couldn't talk about more) and what I feel post-read. So if you were ever contemplating whether you should read this book or not, have a listen!

Do I recommend this book? Yes I do.