Rajwinder Kaur is a middle school teacher at Ramsey Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky. In “My Name,” Raja reflects on the process of creating a video story about the interconnections between her given name, her identity, her family, and her role as a teacher. Raja tells the story of creating this piece in Professor Cruz Medina’s “Multicultural Digital Storytelling” this summer at the Bread Loaf ‘s Santa Fe, New Mexico campus, and she takes stock of the value of her summer composition to her students this year.
“They really took my example, and the vulnerability I shared with them, and took it as a strength of theirs, in their own writing.”
Raja also reflects on her Middlebury College background, and how her experience studying film informs her support of students’ rhetorical strategies in merging text and visual media.
Thank you for this lovely podcast. Having grown up and living my life with with a given name that is never used except professionally, and a nickname that people insist on mispronouncing, this story resonated deeply with me. Thank you, Rajwinder (Raja). My daughters have also had issues with their name and I plan on having them listen to this podcast.
I have always felt that my name is my most cherished gift. It is what people who love me pronounce correctly. It is also an indicator of those who cannot or will not choose to learn it. I become leery of them. Thanks again.
Ceci