Why are roles defined in the first place? Who defines them? Is it society? Is it those affected by the actions of the role player (i.e. students)? Is it the person playing the role themselves?
I think all of these take part in defining what a role is. Kuma specifically looks at the role of a teacher and the different tasks they take on. He also mentions early on in the chapter that David Hansen believes teaching is a vocation, defining it as, "guaranteeing personal autonomy and personal significance." Ok, yes, I definitely agree with that statement. Every teacher should strive to make students feel important and as though they have a role to play in society. If teaching were seen as anything but a vocation, for example, a job, work, a career, an occupation, or a profession, it would lose it's personal touch and be seen as a day in, day out, drag your feet to work type deal.
Further, Kuma explains teachers in terms as passive technicians, reflective practitioners, and transformative intellectuals. He clearly objectifies what each role entails. If I were to describe my ideal teaching type, it would be the third one - a teacher as a transformative intellectual. Not only does this title imply that I, as a teacher, have knowledge in my specific content area, but that I want to convey what I know to my students and TRANSFORM their minds. I connect the classroom to real life and am open to outside suggestions to better improve my classroom. That's what I strive to be.
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