(continued) first time entering the Harmon building and it was an honor to be standing in a structure so masterfully handcrafted.
I also noticed, as the conversation inside continued, what I felt like to what felt to be metaphorical perimeter fencing being installed. Like the warning signs posted on the electrified fencing, new labels of “inside student” and “outside student” were being imprinted. Like the clearly recognizable danger of the razor wire, our clothing made the type of student quickly and easily discernible. Without looking, listening to the conversation also distinguished the two groups. I noticed the inside students had more to say in defense of being labeled, trying to maintain some sense of dignity while being defined by both outsiders and by criticizing language. I didn't notice the outside students struggling to maintain or reject terminology.
To integrate these new labels, I found a visual and physical exchange take place during the setup of the “Introductions” ice breaker activity. The outside students were asked to stand on the inside circle facing out while the inside students were asked to stand on the outside circle facing in. We had just taken our first step as a group into the other label to hold both titles at the same time. I believe this step helped to desensitize the labels by giving instructions that repeatedly directed the outside students to step to the right and introduce themselves to the next inside student. All students could repeatedly identify with both labels.
Another powerful perspective practice activity was “What If?” This practice activity allows for introspection in situations beyond my control. Being able to recognize negative thinking patterns and the symptoms they create in my body prepares me for creative problem solving. The What If? ice breaker activity is also useful in retrospection. My example was a negative thinking pattern that produced anxiety because, “what if my escort doesn't arrive on time or at all and I'm tardy or absent for class?” In this situation, which is beyond my control, I can redirect my thinking to positive things I can control, such as putting in the effort to complete assigned work on time and completely. I can also look at the event in retrospect and find positive experiences that were created by a negative situation, such as the amphitheaters wild roar as I descended the steps, which may not have been my first impression had I arrived in class early or on time.
While introducing us to Sociology, Dr. Rachel mentioned 3 typical reactions commonly experienced when exploring new perspectives: resistance, hopelessness and anger. While I prepare myself to experience these reactions as a natural part of discovery, I can also cultivate responses derived from their opposites. I felt the “First Choice” ice breaker activity segued these reactions well. When presented with opposing choices and asked to choose between them, I felt I was upsetting the balance of a perfect scale. I recognized both sides had merit and, by choosing, I was inadvertently opposing those who chose the other option. I hesitated when language across the dividing line quickly became derogatory and aggressive. Competition, collaboration and negotiation require energy and effort. I can practice these skills like I practice physical fitness: to counter my own weakness and instability. Practice exercises afford me a mind and a body that are disencumbered as well as marked by precision, skill, care and sensitivity.
Another activity that induced these three reactions and allowed for practice was the “Rethinking Some Language” handout. A fun example for me came with the third suggestion to rethink the language for “felon.” According to the handout, “felon implies that causing harm is involved in that person's identity.” By rethinking the language phonetically from English to Greek, saying “felon” went from meaning “criminal” to “friend.” Changing the way a word is defined allows me to feel and see it from a new perspective. The handout also said, “it is important to humanize people convicted of crimes because a broader context always exists for one's actions.” I believe by broadening the definition of “friend” to “obedience” allows for a reassessment of the character’s image and value to the whole.
Another thoughtful example from the “Rethinking Some Language” handout suggested trying “death by Incarceration ”instead of “life without parole (LWOP).” Because that is what the sentence is. It is certainly better than the death penalty. But all life needs hope and LWOP provides no rational grounds for hope. In Ohio, death is no longer listed as a punishment. I believe this change in legislature is beautifully reflected in, “death by incarceration.” I can understand my old way of living did indeed die when I became incarcerated and from that death, a new way of living began. Rethinking LWOP leads me to envision leaving home and learning to support myself without the role of my paternity figure, as my father did when his father died. In an effort to avoid a patriarch, I'll reach phonetically to tangent “life without moral,” the maternity figure. Irrational thinking is the very ground my hope is sewn in, watered in tears of lunacy.
After class, upon returning to my unit, I experienced a renewed appreciation for the Ohio Reformatory for Women's residential treatment unit. Built in 2023, the Reilly building was designed with, “Wellness Certification” features such as on unit fitness equipment to promote physical well-being, a circadian lighting system to promote regular waking patterns and restful sleep, an ice machine with a filtered water fountain to promote hydration as well as high ceilings with sound absorbing canvas art prints to open the space and reduce noise so that anxiety and inattention are easier to manage, and temperature control for comfort during hot or cold weather. This had an extinguishing effect on the passionate energy I experienced in the classroom. Easily intimidated and overwhelmed by individuals, crowds, competition and noise, work in school environments can be challenging for me. I feel these features provide me with an environment conducive to my physical fitness, my studying, my self-care and my overall well-being, helping to strengthen and stabilize me at my core to accept and build upon this rewarding opportunity a new way of life and understanding.
