Am I a Public Intellectual?

What does it mean to be a public intellectual?  Well if an intellectual is someone who engages in critical study, thought, and reflection about society, then I am definitely one of those.  I feel strongly about certain social issues and when in the company of my colleagues or peers I am happy to have lively debates about the topics I feel strongly about.

While I have strong opinions about many things, I think that as a teacher I could get in to some trouble if I tried to become a social activist. This doesn’t mean I will not encourage my students to gather all the information about something they are passionate about and to make a move towards the change they want to see.  I hope that I can present students with information in a way that promotes respect, peace, and the use of knowledge over blind opinion and scare tactics as we so often see.  If, for example, we look at the #idlenomore movement, a lot of people have no real clue what it is about. On the news and in the media it was made out to be this big scary thing and the movement itself was never discussed.  The media focused on what the members of the group were doing (blockades, hunger strikes, rallies) instead.  It was not presented to the average person in a way that the movement itself intended.

I intend to be a tool for the social change that my students want to see.  I know that it will be my duty to ensure that students are aware of the issues that society and community face but I do not think it would be fair for me to tell them what kind of action is necessary.  I want to teach them the options and allow them to respond on their own in a beneficial way.  I don’t know if that makes me a public intellectual or not.  I think that the injustices we see are incredibly important, and I think that change is more likely to happen now than in the past few decades.  People – myself included – are tired of not being heard or considered when decisions are being made that effect them.

The younger generation is one in particular that is itching for change.  I think the recent election demonstrates this need. Young people were excited to participate and ensure that their voices were heard. A lot of this participation occurred through the use of social media. Social media has made it a lot easier for people to get their messages out, to discuss what is important to them, and to come together.  There is however a drawback to the social media monster. While it gives people a voice, the voice presented can have a very loud, uninformed, or ignorant message. I think one of the most important jobs of a teacher is teaching students what credible information is and how to distinguish it from non-credible information.

Teachers are often bound to this standard of teaching that makes being an activist (maybe especially in an impressionable middle years classroom) dangerous.  There is pushback from all angles; administration, policy, even parents don’t want students exposed to certain things in a way that is different than their own way.  A house who does not believe in the woman’s right to govern her own body may look kindly at a teacher who talks openly about pro-abortion.  A homophobic family may not appreciate discussion of equal rights for LGBTQ families.  But as Chris Hedges says in his Vice interview, “If everybody in power doesn’t dislike you are are probably not doing your job.” Maybe there is a need to push the boundaries to an appropriate extent in the classroom.  I want to make it my job to show that you are allowed your own opinion, separate from those of your family and friends.  I want to make sure that students use information to build their stance and not just the opinion of someone who made their mind up without first seeing the information.

So, am I a public intellectual? I am an intellectual and I will be working in a public sphere sharing social information, so sure.  Call me a public intellectual. I don’t think labelling me as one will have an impact on the way I plan to teach.

Jen Chyz