Chapter 16: Being Vulnerable In the Classroom: Presence, Power, and Pushback in Peace Education

bell hooks (1994) argues, “Professors must practice being vulnerable in the classroom, being wholly present in mind, body, and spirit” (p. 21). But how does one hold a space for vulnerability to emerge? What sort of presence is it? And how does vulnerability work in the classroom? As part of an ongoing discussion about vulnerability in education, the contribution of this chapter is two-fold: First, to propose an approach that can help educators create a space for vulnerability to emerge in a classroom context; and second, to reflect on my own experiences of practicing being vulnerable as an educator, and the lessons learned from those experiences.