UNlearning

 Learning new things is hard. Unlearning old things is even harder. I have one semester left in college, I have taken over 170 hours and have taken classes in an assortment of different subjects. and yet most of my classroom experiences have been the same. I have learned to write in the perfect manner and sidestep around certain subjects and have learned how to prove that I understand the subject matter at hand. This class has been hard for me. As an honors student, I pride myself in understanding and proving that I did. I worry that when I turn in a drawing or a simple poem that I won't showcase my knowledge.  

I hope to be a professor one day. This class has made me wonder what kind of professor I will be. I have unlearned that there is only one way to learn and interact with new knowledge. I have realized that my education has been severely colonized. I often read the theories of dead white men and turn in cookie-cutter papers to half-dead white men. I have enjoyed unlearning how to learn. Writing these blog posts, drawing, writing poems, etc. have taught me more and forced me to process the information in a way I never would have in a typical class or learning experience. 

So, if I have the privilege to craft my own class one day, maybe I'll make my students create a blog and come up with unique and interesting ways to showcase what they have learned. Perhaps I will tell my students that learning is hard, but unlearning takes courage. Unlearning requires an open mind and a willingness to accept that you may have been wrong. Our comfort zones are comfy, but they will keep us stagnant. Our echo chambers are unchallenging. Writing papers sometimes makes us write as if we are unattached to the subject matter instead of allowing us to understand how we might see ourselves in the books or lessons. I have unlearned quite a few things in this short winter class, but I am very thankful that I have started to unlearn some things that I thought were facts.