At the outset, the word ecosystem, especially in regards to a classroom setting where there are power dynamics at play, brings to my mind images of the forest or the ocean. I mean this in the sense that there is a hierarchy of animals with the goal of survival in mind. Necessarily, in this scenario, some prey on others — there is competition and loss. The word ecosystem, to me, is not a friendly one. I more instantly think of the forces of chaos. The need to eat, reproduce, and find a home somewhere within the infrastructure seems counterproductive to community building, unless, we move forward with the idea of it not necessarily being a supportive community. That being said, there is, I’m sure, peace and community found within specific relationships that are not based on dire survival. Not all bugs attack each other. Not all marine life is predatory, they aren’t all sharks, and, not all predatory sharks desire every fish. Moving forward with the goal of fostering community in a positive way, I think that a slight tweak to the premise does a better job, at least for myself, of illustrating the ways in which we can interact as a whole in the classroom.

It seems to me, that I could see the classroom as a solar system rather than an ecosystem. Granted, I am not schooled on the ins and outs of astrophysics or of the interaction of the planets in great detail, but I can more clearly see a place for all in this metaphor of the classroom. While the idea of placing the teacher as the center of the universe, the sun as it were in our galaxy, naturally, sounds a bit presumptuous, I think it better illustrates the role — at least to my eyes. In this instance, the planets all are kept in orbit by that central figure without having to be in competition with the rest. A gravitational pull, a desire to draw energy or information from the center is helpful to all, and all stay afloat in this vacuum of space. Each planet orbits at its own speed and is not hindered by any of the others. In this example, literacy and writing (the vacuum of space aforementioned) is the common surrounding atmosphere of creation and experimentation that unites all. I think that trying to respect each students “orbit” or process with writing while still being a central figure they can count on for energy or information is a way in which I could see my classroom operating.