Does It Really Matter?

Abstract

In this chapter, the author ponders the intrinsic feature of being human—mattering. She searches through her experiences as a teacher to uncover how mattering has played a role in the lives of her students and herself. At the center of her pondering is Rebecca Goldstein's mattering theory. The author moves through this work sharing three different experiences she had as a classroom teacher in which what mattered most was challenged—beginning with a challenging student, to her experience of being taught to dance by one of her students, and finally by challenging the ubiquitous practice of using competition within learning environments. In conclusion, she suggests reasons for and ways to redefine the mattering zone boundaries of the map of her teaching and her students' learning.