After reading Dr Laura D’Olimpio’s article about the Ethics of Care – which is also known as Feminist Ethics, I have been thinking about how the world could really do with more of this!
Although I wonder if calling it the feminist ethic immediately creates a barrier, alienates men who are caring/in caring roles and perhaps linking women to care perpetuates this stereotype and doesn’t do much to encourage men to self reflect and change.
But perhaps it is important to identify the way things are before we can go about fixing it? Why is it that so few men are in these roles? It was interesting to hear the male perspective in the class discussion, and that someone (male) had applied to be a mental first aider but never heard back. Are caring men given the same opportunities as caring women? How can society move on from these traditional stereotypes?
I really like this quote by Fisher and Tronto because it speaks of caring as an activity we do as a species and feels more inclusive in terms of the language used.
“On the most general level, we suggest that caring be viewed as a species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue, and repair our ‘world’ so that we can live in it as well as possible. That world includes our bodies, our selves, and our environment, all of which we seek to interweave in a complex, life-sustaining web.”
Fisher, Bernice, and Joan C. Tronto. “Toward a Feminist Theory of Care.” In Circles of Care: Work and Identity in Women’s Lives, edited by Emily K. Abel and Margaret K. Nelson. State University of New York Press, 1990.
Self care is so important, and brings to mind the analogy of being on a plane and putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.
Reflecting on this, I don’t think I have given self care enough thought. Teaching, running my own business and managing a family definitely has it’s challenges and I have found it usually comes last in my list of priorities which means that I end up feeling burnt out. I realise now it is so important to “check in” with myself and get into a good routine of meditation and yoga to give my mind a rest.
I have been reading All About Love which I am enjoying very much and actually finding it to be a bit life changing.
bell hooks talks about a love ethic, and how this cultivates awareness. Awareness is such a crucial element in the classroom, in how I relate to my students and identify their needs. Being aware indicates to students that they are seen, builds trust and helps to open up channels of communication.
hooks, b. 2000. All About Love. HarperCollins, New York.
In this session we discussed ways to create a caring environment in the classroom and online. A few interesting points came up:
- Shrinking budgets can make it difficult to achieve a caring classroom and deliver the unit in the allocated time. For example, I used to teach 2 hour sessions which have now been cut to 1 hour, this makes it a challenge to cover the coursework and engage with each student individually.
- How to reproduce informal interaction online? Create a separate student only breakout room for informal chats eg a “panic hole” as someone mentioned or The Cafe as was set up for the PG Certers.
- Creating a relaxed environment – playing music, cameras on, fun sessions eg quiz
- Asking the students what they want
- Tea time, breakfast/lunch club, informal out of classroom conversations