Amy: I'm mainly in my methods classes—so, like, learning the methods and theories of teaching. Trigger preparation for student teaching in the spring. Um, but I'm also in post-colonial literature.  And my ESL internship—so, my last class for my English as a Second Language endorsement.

Nancy: Where are you doing that internship?

Amy: So I'm doing it all online because—okay—they told us if you wanna do it in person, you have to find your own placement. And I—so you have ESL students.

Nancy: Online?

Amy: Well, I'm watching videos.

Nancy: Oh, that's right—other people teaching ESL students.

Amy: Okay. Um, which is really difficult, but if it gets me the degree—no, for sure, I'm gonna do it.

Nancy: So I'm thinking now about teaching and common ground, particularly in light of the comments that were made about how common ground can be alienating to people, right? As someone—whether it's higher ed or K–12—just thinking about educational spaces in general, even the videos you're watching, like, at this moment, what is common ground... where is it in your head?

Amy: Right. I was thinking about this throughout your whole talk and then through this space as well. And it's like—common ground is kind of like—whether you use that term or not, to me, I feel like it should be an intentionally shared space.  . And I think, especially as educators—or, like, as a future educator—we’re in a really unique spot to make that very safe, intentional, safe place... safe space that people might not have in other places.  . And so I think, like, giving that blank space for people to make their own common ground in a classroom is really special. And something I'm constantly thinking about—like, how do I do that? Especially in Wyoming.

Nancy: How did—how, as a student... are you aware of how you’re contributing to a common-ground-inspired space when you're in student spaces, or do you think that's mainly something you're thinking of from a teaching position?

Amy: I think both. When I first came to the university, I was really scared. Like, huh, there’s a lot going on. And it's Wyoming, and there's all those... like, I grew up here, and I kind of know what the space is like, so I was really nervous. But everybody's like, college is different. And so, as a student, it's like—you have to show up and also intentionally make that space. Like, the educator is the container, I think.  . And then the students get to fill it with what they want. It's like, as a student, I can intentionally fill that with positivity or safe spaces— —and the educator is just there to support it, I guess.

Nancy: Can you think of a time that you have engaged that actively in a classroom? I notice in my classroom, for example, the students are super good at—they don’t tack back to me, which is good—they tack back to each other. So, like, James will say something and he’ll be like, "I’d like to build on what McKayla was saying," which is—like—that makes me so happy, because what I see is them making their own web of meaning. And I’m there and I’m witnessing, and of course they respect my part in it—but it’s not about me. It’s not like they all come back to me. Right, right. So there’s an example of a way I see them making space for each other or reaffirming that they belong there. Can you think of anything in your practice as a student—or, if you want to relate it to teaching—how do we reinforce the contents of the container?

Amy: I think as I’ve progressed in my career, it's easier. And I think it’s that familiarity—like, once you create those connections with your fellow classmates, it’s a lot easier to be like, “Oh hey, James said this,” or “this person said this,” ’cause I know them.  Like, I think about our methods classes—and James... me, James, and the two Joshes—we sit together every day. And we’re always bouncing off each other ’cause we know each other. Yeah. And this is our third year together in classes. Um, and we also know everybody else in the class. So it’s like we’ve created that space already. Mm. And then I compare it to—like, I work in entry-level English classrooms. And it’s like, I compare it to what I see there, where it's like these scared people who are afraid to build those connections. Um, and so whether or not that’s the educator’s role or the student’s role to build those connections—I think just the act of getting to know your fellow classmates and building that learning community is what creates that common ground space.

Nancy:  You made me think about how—when we’re taught as teachers—you always, like, the first day, you do your icebreaker. But we don’t really come back. We do, like, pair-and-share kinds of things, but we don’t come back to the icebreaking part ever again. And now I’m wondering—particularly in lower-level major classes—if having a few times over the semester where you can just talk to each other about stuff that isn’t so high-pressure as the content might be a way to facilitate that community building. I love that you said “the container”—like, I can make a container, but I can’t force people to take advantage of it. Right. But if you’re crafty at making a container, they’re more likely than not to take advantage. Yeah. So you made me think about icebreakers all over again.

Amy: That makes me think of the other day in one of my English classes that I’m a helper in. Yeah. We did a brainstorming activity where I put them in different groups than usual. And the first five minutes, they just talked. But I wasn’t gonna stop them or redirect it, because I was like, this is good. They’re building that writing community that you need in that kind of classroom to succeed. So I just kind of let them go. And I was like, I know we’re totally off topic, but this is still good learning that’s happening.

Nancy: I love—it’s like “common ground” is a verb.

Amy: Yeah.

Nancy: And maybe there’s also—I’m thinking again of those comments that were made at the end of the session about exclusionary practices and claiming of ground, and inviting or not inviting, or feeling belonging or alienation. I’m thinking—if it’s an ongoing process—then maybe if we see it starting to go off on a track that’s not what we want it to be, then we’re empowered to bring it back. Rather than being like, “Well, that’s the space, that’s the table.” If we’re always tabling... I know, I know—it’s easy to make cliché, pat responses to really big problems.

Amy: Yeah.

Nancy: But I hate feeling disempowered.

Amy: Yeah. I think it comes back to that container—like, if you set the container in a way that’s inclusive and a safe place, a blank slate almost, then you’re less likely to get to that point of, “Huh, we gotta reel it back in, because this is exclusive and it’s doing more harm than good.” Yeah. Um, which—I say that it's easy to set the container that way—but especially in spaces like high school Wyoming or rural Wyoming, it’s a lot more difficult. But I think what we’re learning a lot in our classes is: you can be crafty with that. And you can be crafty with how you get around things.

Nancy: One last thing I’ll ask—and I know this is a little personal, so we don’t have to dig any deeper than you want to—I’m just thinking about how you’ve brought up being from Wyoming a couple of times. How did your experiences in high school—be as general or specific as you want—shape your relationship to these questions of classroom spaces as containers or as potential for common ground?

Amy: Yeah. So I went to a really small high school. There were 38 people in my graduating class. And everybody knew everybody—you couldn’t hide behind a façade, or behind a group of people. It was like standing in front of all your classmates naked. Which can be really scary.

And I think the most impactful moment I can think of in high school was during the 2020 election. I had told someone—who I thought was one of my friends—something. I was like, “Oh yeah, my parents are voting for Biden.” And then she turned around and told the entire senior class. I got bullied about that for weeks. I would go home crying, and I didn’t know what to do. And the teachers didn’t do anything.

So, when I think about my future classroom—I didn’t feel safe in a classroom like that. I don’t want any other student to feel alienated for any choices their family makes, or for what they believe personally. I still think about that. I think, how do I make sure my students never feel that way?

Note: The transcript above has been condensed from its original audio recording to improve the flow and readability of the story.