Sup Teach?

“Know history, know self. No history, no self.”

I used to hear that phrase so often that I stopped thinking about what it really means. To be honest, it still sounds cliche and I try to stray from cliches. As much as I try to deconstruct it though, it makes sense. When it comes down to it, context is pretty important.

In my graduate program, I learn about higher education while I work in higher education. Most of the members of my cohort are preparing to be Student Affairs practitioners. They want to enhance student learning outside of the classroom and support their in-class learning. I’m pretty sure that’s what I want to do too. It feels like the place to be for me right now. What’s interesting is that my curriculum isn’t so much about how to do the work as it is in other programs at other institutions. This program is about learning about the history and theory of higher education as well as a little bit about how to be a practitioner. Is this a good thing? So far, yes.

In my Foundations of Higher Education course, we’ve been looking at how these monsters that we call universities and colleges were built. It’s been frustrating and boring at times but I’ve learned some VERY interesting things. For one, the rise of universities and colleges are the reason (or at the major reason) why we have K-12 education as it exists today. Pre-1900, the K-12 system wasn’t quite K-12. College was an afterthought for most and basic literacy is all that was needed. Universal access to higher ed required a pipeline so many state universities began to support and push for increased childhood education. Yes, I skipped several important facts and I don’t even know all of those yet. That was some good knowledge though.

So how does the past shape the future? Is K-12 all about sending people to college? Am I working to uphold the academic mission of my institution? Is my contextual knowledge affecting my practice? I like questions. Answers aren’t that bad either.