The Power of Vulnerability

Let’s discuss power, and power in the classroom and what are our traditional ways that we look at power? What are some new ways that we can look at power through vulnerability?

Is your classroom a place that's vulnerable enough for you to cry?

There's two ways that we traditionally look at power in the classroom and I want you to think about it as you teach and use the PurposeU Curriculum. The first way that we traditionally look at power, is through hierarchy, right? I have your grade in my hand. I've gotten my degree, my PhD, my master's.

I'm the professor. I'm better, smarter, quicker, richer, healthier than you.

Through this type of leadership, whether we know it or not, we dominate and intimidate. It's just how the leadership is set up. So it prevents the students from critically thinking and they really just give you the answer that you want. What's the answer that you want? Yeah, that's what I'm going to give you instead of the critically thinking and even disagreeing with you sometimes.

Another type of leadership is when you're vulnerable and you allow yourself to stretch and become even more human in the classroom. This garners respect, and this creates an atmosphere where your students can now become vulnerable and think about what's my pain? What's my passion? What drives me? What's the most meaningful thing in my life? Why am I not doing my purpose? So think about these forms of power and how you use power in the classroom, and how the purpose university curriculum can help you as a teacher and the student become even more vulnerable and take chances on critically thinking through community problems.