Image/Text/Poem: Composing Memoir in the Digital Age › Forums › S. Perl, On Austrian Soil › Lindsey's Response to Perl's on Austrian Soil
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Understanding pedagogy as a way to introduce students to their teacher, not just a teacher presenting curricula but also as a person, with ideas, morals and values is a way to integrate the teacher as a holistic “being”. I found that principle to be the challenge in the Professor’s memoir.
From the outset of Professor Perl’s journey, the workshop seems fairly benign, examining teaching practices and restructuring procedures. However, as we read on, we know that the Professor has a fundamental task, understanding her hostility towards a group of people whose ancestry has affected her life. What we find is that we cannot separate the person from the teacher, nor the teacher from the person. The professor is continually distracted by her internal plight. We learn that the mere act of teaching is a courageous one; that asks the eternal question, “As a teacher, should we only display oneself as a teacher, within the constraints of a curriculum? Should a teacher bring their authentic self into the classroom, their whole being? Examining pedagogy through that lens is full of risks; both professional and personal. Does the reward outweigh risks?”
Under the philosophy of the academics from her syllabus, Professor Perl, uses subtle segued topics to convey her underlying questions, questions she was struggling with most of her life and brought to the forefront on the trips to Austria: what is a country’s responsibility for past actions as well as its inhabitants responsibility for the past and its future. Additionally, incorporating philosophies from Max van Manen, who posited among other ideas, “the questions life has called me to ask” (98) and/or Bissex . . “discussions in which everyone thought aloud together about questions that mattered to them.”(47) as well as Bissex’s posit “The teacher I wanted to become was also the person I wanted to become. . .) (47). While this is a persuasive argument for bridging personal ideas within a professional environment, is a slippery slope. As we seen when the Austrian class goes silent during discussions on specific delicate topics as well as when the Professor receives Ingrid’s letter (pg. 105-6).
As a secular Jew, I grew up knowing about the atrocities of the holocaust and with some of the same hate banter in my family that Professor Perl discusses throughout her memoir. The animosity I overheard came from older relatives, similar again, to Professor Perl’s mother; “never go to Germany”, “don’t buy German products”, “Austrians are just as bad as the Germans” Although I was a two generations removed from WWII, the knowledge created a default aligned with what I heard. As we all know the roots of racism, discrimination, hyperbole ethnic phobias, are deep and just like an oak tree, the seeds populate areas nowhere near the original site.
As I grew, I questioned things, comparing the idea of intrinsic racism to that of America’s slavery crimes. I know, I am not responsible for the slave trade, nor did I have slaves. However because I was born in the land that perpetrated such atrocities, I too am responsible by being a “white American”. That is the perception of those who are the victims. I realized that ALL Germans are not responsibility for the war crimes of their country, not all Germans are Nazis. But racism is a tenacious invasive demon, and things get through and perpetuate the continuation of discrimination on all facets of a being, race, creed, sexuality,
While reading the memoir, I continuously asked myself similar questions that the Professor wrote about, “could I have been a Nazi, if born there, then?”
Even in the best, most educated society human beings are complicated. We are born into environments that have certain societal ideas in place; instilling in unsuspecting minds, stories and myths. We all have internal quests, questions and quests we unconsciously carry with us, for they are a part of us, everywhere we go. But if we were to use the Professor’s template to bring forth personal issues/dilemmas, as an American we do not have to go abroad: “Could I have been a slave owner if born then, here?
The didactic between victim and perpetrator isn’t new; it has been around since the beginning of time. Humans are trying to understand the paradigm of good versus evil. There are many people fighting the good fight, but just as many not wanting to budge. In the end, Sondra Perl’s memoir gives us hope.
of interest with regard to victims and perpetrators: Portraits of Reconciliation: Hutus and Tutsis https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/06/magazine/06-pieter-hugo-rwanda-portraits.html
Hi Lindsey,
Yes, I agree. I knew I was walking a slippery slope as I tried to be both a teacher and an authentic human being in the classroom. A totally fraught situation given the identities of all of us present. And when I chose the readings from Vito Perrone, Louise Rosenblatt, van Manen, and Glenda Bissex, I had no idea how relevant they would be to the dark issues we were exploring. I love those writers and I knew their thinking about research and teaching would be important — but I did not expect them to be so challenging to the Austrians.
This line about the insidious nature of inherited hatred really speaks to me: ‘the roots of racism, discrimination, hyperbole ethnic phobias, are deep and just like an oak tree, the seeds populate areas nowhere near the original site.’ Just think of Obama today.
Hi Lindsey,
Yes, I agree. I knew I was walking a slippery slope as I tried to be both a teacher and an authentic human being in the classroom. A totally fraught situation given the identities of all of us present. And when I chose the readings from Vito Perrone, Louise Rosenblatt, van Manen, and Glenda Bissex, I had no idea how relevant they would be to the dark issues we were exploring. I love those writers and I knew their thinking about research and teaching would be important — but I did not expect them to be so challenging to the Austrians.
This line about the insidious nature of inherited hatred really speaks to me: ‘the roots of racism, discrimination, hyperbole ethnic phobias, are deep and just like an oak tree, the seeds populate areas nowhere near the original site.’ Just think of Obama today.
Lindsey,
The link to the New York Times article was beautiful. Thank you. -
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