Being the "Other"

Being the "other" was a really interesting experience. I decided to go to the weight room at BYU--a place I had never been before. When I got there, I was so nervous to go inside, I turned around and started walking back! Since I realized I had to do the assignment, I went back and went into the weight room. At first, when I went in, I just found a chair in the room and sat down. I observed people lifting weights, pulling on these weight machines, and doing a variety of activities. They all looked like they knew what they were doing and how to use the machines, and I felt completely "out of it." It seemed that all were frequented members of the weight room, but I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. It was hot and stinky in there since they were all working out so hard. I realized at that point I should probably start doing something too. I also noticed that almost everyone there had earphones, which I did not have...so that also made me feel more "out of it." There were a ton of machines in the room, and I realized that I only knew how to use one of them. I needed someone to teach me how to use all of the equipment in there!

To cope with the "otherness," I kept mostly to myself at the beginning. Then, once I asked a few people if I could take their picture, I started talking with some of the people there. I asked a few girls about their experience and how often they frequented the weight room. They told me that they came "all the time." One of them mentioned that she started coming with her friend about a year ago, and little by little, learned how to use the equipment there. I felt more comfortable once I started talking with those girls, but I still felt pretty out of place. I tried lifting weights like they were. I also tried to imitate what I had seen a girl do on this weight lifting machine/piece of equipment. The weights did not look that heavy, so I thought I would be able to lift them, but I absolutely could not! I definitely had not developed the muscles as she had.

Though I did not necessarily feel discriminated in the weight room, I did feel very out of place, and perhaps even a little "judged" when I tried to lift the weights on the machine and absolutely could not. While there, I definitely could recognize and feel the culture of "being in shape" and the importance of health in the weight room culture.

Through this experience, I realized what some students might experience if school is a "foreign place" to them. I realized how uncomfortable, unsafe, and out of place they may feel if they do not feel welcomed and accepted in a classroom. I recognized the responsibility I have to make sure that students feel comfortable, accepted, and loved in the classroom. I also recognized the importance of clear explanation--that I should not assume that students already know the culture of a classroom. I also recognized that as I seek to establish my personal pedagogy, I need to make sure that I include things in my teaching and in my classroom that relate to and draw upon a diverse set of cultures so that students feel welcomed in the class. As I work to make my classroom reflect more diversity, I hope that students will be able to be more open-minded, tolerant, and loving of one another, rather than prejudiced towards one another. In addition, as I seek to establish a multicultural classroom and develop those ideals within myself, I hope to be able to create an environment in which each student has a more 'equal' opportunity to learn and grow, where one group is not privileged above another.