I haven’t yet decided if it is better to be more similar to my students, or to extend our differences to better manipulate the proceedings of the classroom. There are several instances of difference that exist between my students and myself. I have a bachelor’s degree, I am a graduate student, I have a background in Composition and Creative Writing Studies, and maybe most importantly, I can clearly see how the curriculum 101 students are following will help set these students up for a successful academic career at WWU.

However, it is difficult to demonstrate these somewhat unseen differences to my students, who have fixated more upon our similarities. I am only a few years older than my students, I too am a student here at Western, and from those two relatable parallels my students oftentimes do not listen, respect, or acknowledge me as they might another instructor. Therefore, I usually try to make my differences known when I am attempting to be authoritative. I position myself at the front of the classroom, I talk loudly, I command a good portion of the dialogue, and I try to utilize my past experiences in the classroom to navigate through difficult conversations and teachable moments.

However, when I am trying to move around and connect with students I always assume a more relatable position—I let students know that I struggle with my classes and with managing my time between classes and school in a healthy way. I also am homesick, get lost around campus, and need help from my professors. I think that students respond well to knowing that you share similar vulnerabilities, I just think it’s important to maintain a sense of difference between the instructor and the class. Yes we are all learning from one another, yes, everyone’s opinions are valued equally, but there should be some differences, or perhaps boundaries, that exist between the teacher and the students.