Judgment - Comp Tales Response 1

In response to Tale 1 from Chapter 1 of Comp Tales, I think judgement is the biggest ethical issue one can face as an instructor. When we look at a student who may have a questionable past (e.g. time in prison), it is important not to let that information cloud our perception of said student. We are not in a position to judge those who are from a different background. Each student deserves our encouragement and confidence, despite anything. Our duty is to teach those to the best of our ability. When we make generalizations, such as the common portrayal of community college and their lack of prestige, we undermine the education that the faculty at these institutions is providing and the quality of students that attend them.

Avoiding judgement is essential to building a solid foundation as an instructor. Composing "writing assignments" and forming "responses which acknowledge and invite students to make use of rather than dismiss or undercut interests, knowledge, and expertise they bring to the classroom" is an important strategy to implement, especially as new educators (Haswell 9). Applying this lesson, we can see that building a classroom free of judgement gives it the potential to include all students, while also avoiding animosity or conflict.


Works Cited

Haswell, Richard H., and Min-Zhan Lu. Comp Tales: An Introduction to College Composition through Its                    Stories. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. Print.