Voiced

So, each semester, around midterm, I have my 1020 students write a monologue. To get the started, we review a few monologues and talk about structure and purpose and I have them jot a few brainstorming notes about happenings in their lives or the lives of people they know…as fodder for their stories.

I cannot voice strongly enough how very MUCH I love this assignment.

To come entirely clean, I must admit that a portion of my enjoyment of the assignment is entirely selfish. Reading these monologues reminds me of the humanity of the 1020 room. I LOVE teaching. I am not one of those profs who scoffs at the Intro or Appreciation courses. Though I love the intimacy of a small classroom, I don’t need it in order to feel fulfilled. The larger classes are inspiring to me. But it IS easier to lose individuals in the crowd when your class is comprised of 100 or so.

But to sit down with a stack of handwritten monologues…it is SUCH a humbling, intimate experience. I always feel refreshed in my connection to the humans in my room as I read those stories. I understand I risk sounding sappy here, but I am ceaselessly amazed at how well my students write.

I also love listening to the discussion outside the classroom as students in the hall tell each other what they chose to write about. Seems like monologue day is always a day when people speak to each other more than they customarily do.

I LOVE being cognizant of voices. How do I explain this?

I am a HUGE fan of libraries and book stores. When I walk down aisles and scan shelves of books, I am often very aware of the many voices housed within the binding of those books. I imagine these places are full of all the voices speaking at once and suddenly the room sings with every human need.

In a way, the monologues remind me of this. All these people who sit for an hour or so every Tuesday and Thursday in my classroom contain such brave, funny, heartbreaking and powerful stories. And through the course of this assignment, they have VOICES beyond the give and take of our normal classroom discussion.

How LUCKY those of us are who are able to teach within a discipline that gives voice to the human condition.