A friend asked me about the differences between Art History graduate studies and Elementary Ed graduate studies.

Ha.

Let me clear my schedule. I’m going to have to take off work to answer this appropriately. Are you sure you have time? Go ahead and tell your husband to pick up pizza on his way home. Are those your comfortable pants from college with the elastic waistband? You might want to put some on. You will be here a while.

The difference is this: Art History is a discipline that thrives on being argumentative. Everyone crafts an argument and defends it (to the death). It never goes unnoticed when a theorist changes his mind at some point throughout his career and will probably be asked about this change at every conference for the rest of his life. Done. You make arguments, you question others, and you hoard sources from the library so no one else will get them. You gossip about how you are just so sure that a professor is hiding a source from you so that you can’t write about it (because he doesn’t like your thesis.)

This happens.

Education on the other hand, is all about some acceptance. Accept that your students are who they are, meet them where they are. Accept that cooperative learning is good. Accept that research shows homework isn’t necessarily helpful to students (btw, NOT SWALLOWING THAT PILL). Acceptance is good and refreshing, but it’s new and a bit unfamiliar for me professionally.

The friend asked if it’s changed me.

No. I still want a well-crafted argument based on five scholarly sources why you just said that crazy thing you just said about a classroom. I don’t mind that you said it, and I don’t disagree with you. I just need for you to tell me a source. SOURCES, PEOPLE. SOURCES.

It’s a sickness. That will never change.

But I do remember watching a fellow student, with whom I disagree on many things, model a lesson for a group. None of it was done the way that I would do it. Not a thing. But I do realize thinking this girl is a good teacher. Her kids will learn and she will be incredible in the classroom. I admire her style.

And knowing that this new way of thinking is totally acceptable in education (and is the essence of education) is a freeing feeling.

Also? The over-sharing. The over-sharing is unbelievable. Your child birth plan at the hospital? Your divorce five years ago? Your night job? Fantastic. LET’S ALL HEAR ABOUT IT.

So, yes, I guess I’ve found my people.