I know everyone is likely to have a bias no matter how small; but I fail to find one that I can elaborate on at length. I think I’ve always been able to understand different perspectives and appreciate them. However, at times I do find myself to be indecisive, overly analytical, and unable to pick side--at least concretely. I don’t take someone or something at face value and I operate on the assumption that things are not what they seem. Is this good, bad, or both? (Even now I just looked up, once again, the rules for using a serial comma before or/and and I still have yet to pick a style to follow since I don’t write much anyway.) Can being too analytical about something be considered a bias?
Much of this way of thinking stays beneath the surface until a position has been chosen or formulated. Even then I don’t really take an overt stance. Maybe this makes me less vulnerable and more powerful in a way because no one knows what exactly I’m thinking. So this also means that I am less inclined to divulge information and others have to pry to learn my opinion.Being analytical pertains usually to situations more than it does to people; so I have to walk a fine line between judging or caring about something and disregarding it. I do believe that having an analytical mindset would be an advantage in the classroom in the long run. I am constantly at odds with myself to find the right balance and my fear is that in the process of weighing options and possible outcomes I will end up losing valuable time. At the same time I think this also allows me to be receptive to new people without having an already formed perception.
You talk about how you seem to question yourself about many things and that people have to work hard to get your opinions out of you. What if you are biased against yourself? I had not thought of this until I read your blog but I would bet that to some degree many of us are biased against ourselves. I think this can be good and bad. The good part is that we are always thinking about how to improve ourselves and that which apply ourselves to. The bad part may be a lack of decisiveness. I think the good outweighs the bad though. This ability to question yourself and to strive to improve yourself can do nothing but help your students, so question on.
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