2022 Keynote Presenter
Michael Wesch
Kansas State University
Teaching is really hard right now, and it's a "Great Thing"
For many of us, these past two years have presented us with the most difficult challenges we have ever faced as teachers. The pandemic has forced us to adopt new and unfamiliar technologies, adapt to ever-changing student needs, chipped away at our physical and mental health, and exacerbated political and ideological divides that now find their way into virtually every subject matter. Teaching has always been hard. Properly understood for all that it is - the instilling of knowledge, curiosity, discernment, character, wisdom, and skill in the next generation - the art of teaching is what the poet Rilke would call "a Great Thing." It is impossible to get exactly right, unconscionable not to try. But as Rilke notes, "growth is in being profoundly conquered again and again by greater and greater things." In this talk, we will explore how this mindset of seeing teaching as the impossible task that it truly is can actually energize us, center us, humble us, and most importantly, help us feel connected to our students and fellow teachers as we confront this mysterious great thing together. We will also share a few little things - tips, techniques, and technologies - that might be helpful as we gather around the Great Thing for one more round this semester.
About Dr. Wesch
The New York Times listed him as one of 10 professors in the nation whose courses “mess with old models” and added that “they give students an experience that might change how they think, what they care about or even how they live their lives.” His videos on teaching and culture have been viewed over 25 million times, translated in over 20 languages, and are frequently featured at international film festivals and major academic conferences worldwide. Wesch has won several major awards for his work, including the US Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation, the Wired Magazine Rave Award, and he was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. He is also co-creator of anth101.com and author of The Art of Being Human, a free and open textbook alternative for Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.
