The complexities of liminal experiences simultaneously fascinate and challenge me. This has always been true. I liken the experience to the causal impacts presented in G. I. Taylor’s Double Slit Experiment, whereby the simple intentional observation of how particles behave fundamentally changes the way that they behave, without any implicit sentient reasoning. Thinking along the lines of the more fleeting nuances, I find myself wondering how the accuracy of a decision or action remains intact as it translates from thought, decision, and action to result, observation, and interpretation.
The implications of these singularities create waves of consequence that can, variant on multiple external influences, exist in oppositional parallelism. As humans, a great deal of our collegiality as species relies heavily on our ability to communicate with one another. The extent to which we need to understand one another varies by situational relationship, and so to does the importance for accurate understanding.
For example, if an artist is contracted to paint a mural based on a clients “vision” or directive, the resulting mural will likely differ greatly from what the client initially imagined. This implies a degree of misunderstanding. However, given the situational relationship of the artist, certain liberties and creative choices are often factored into the unspoken trust of the relationship, and so the differing mural will in many cases be well received, because the artist has, to a certain extent, understood what the client was asking for. However, if a Dental Hygienist indicates which tooth is in need of being pulled to a Dentist, the importance of understanding both the requested action, as well as which specific tooth, becomes incredibly important.
Becoming an educator presents several levels by which one exists in liminality. Through various practicums, coursework, and collaborative experiences, each of us faces a variety of transitional situations where we enter as student, and emerge as professional. For me, this has been both exhilarating, and unbelievably confusing. I think this is because the more knowledge I become confident in my understanding of, and the more I begin to trust the preparedness for this profession that this program has instilled in me, the more “but what about…?” I have to consider when experiencing friction during liminal transition.
Self-confidence has been an area of very intentional development for myself throughout this program. It is still an area which I have considerable room to grow, but I have found more and more that I am cultivating the ability to have very transparent and professional conversations with colleagues, so long as the tone of the conversation remains positive. Faced with aggression, or irritation, I rapidly recede back into the fear complex which greatly inhibits my ability to communicate in typical ways; Like I said, I have room for considerable growth. However, one thing that I am (with a degree of excitement I will protect like gold) taking away from my recent practicum, is the “bucket filling” feeling which results from friendly collegiality, where one can find it.
Learning involves patience and time. First Peoples Principles of Learning number seven is the principle which resonates with me personally the strongest. Not to detract from the significance of any individual other, but when I reflect on my own life I feel this principle to be the one I have the most authentic understanding of. I saw this principle every day during my practicum, and fought diligently to embed it into my teaching time.
This principle operates in part on a very overt level, which makes it very easy to partially understand. Every individual is going to understand different component parts of various concepts, lessons, and ideas, at different paces and with different amounts of time. Considering the variety of personal interests, strengths, and weaknesses present in a group of nearly 30, it is only reasonable to expect that there will need to be the allowance for differentiation within the structure of ones praxis.
During a practicum experience, this principle also exists overtly for the Teacher Candidate, who is very much a student, as well as a professional in this circumstance. Every single day brought with it a variety of “first times” which colour the metaphorical rainbow representative of “that which you learn by experiencing.” I found that at least for me, the single most beneficial component to any learning opportunity I was presented with, was patience from the individual guiding me. Understanding that proficiency can, and will be achieved with time, and perhaps some encouragement along the way.
I truly believe that the best version of each educator exists within the most articulated version of their “Self” that they can present to a classroom. When I consider the actuation of that for me as a professional, I know that it will happen most as I exit from the liminal tunnel as a professional. The instances outside the experiment, where I could function as either a particle, a wave or both; Experiences which my students reflected on, thanking me for my encouragement, kindness, patience, and understanding. These are the evidential pieces which encourage, and convince me of my place within the field of Education.