What stuck out to me about Laurie Reed’s A Dream in Motion was its discussion about perspective.  Laurie says the following:

“From participating I realized that my anxiety, worry, lack of knowledge, newness, etc. are exactly what many of my TWP students will feel.”

I think that one of the most helpful things a professor can do is understand the perspective of their students and be able to put themselves in their shoes.  Recognizing that TWP students usually feel that anxiety, lack of knowledge, and newness will help in building a class that meets students where they’re at.

I also think this understanding can play into accessibility in classes.  Classes that allow students to video call in when they’re sick or feeling unwell, for example, both help students succeed and make them feel understood.  It can be easy for someone to say “Just go to class/work when you’re sick!” when a lot of us, especially after Covid quarantines, are scared of getting someone else sick too.  And even if we’re not contagious (stomach sick, chronic illness flaring up, bad mental health, etc.), attempting to perform in class in person gets so much more difficult.  So having that there makes us feel like we’re there to really learn and collaborate, not just get graded.

Laurie also says “It is my hope that my students will see that their perception may be very different than their fellow students.”  One thing I have heard consistently from other students is that they loved that their TWPs let them meet students in other majors.  Getting to know people in different fields through these classes helps us better understand each other.

I like to think that this can link back to the title of Laurie’s passage, A Dream in Motion, in that a class focused on interlocking perspectives is the dream – one that provides a collaborative and understanding learning environment.  In my opinion, when students feel like a part of a team instead of like they’re competing against each other, that’s when they succeed the most.