By Anna Panunto
My name is Anna and I am a Canadian-Italian teacher and artist. But, I am not just a teacher. I am a teacher of teachers, a student of teachers, and a child of immigrants who strongly believes in a just society and equity of outcomes. Who I am as a teacher was a work in progress, an evolution of 24 years. On both sides of my family, there are teachers. On a theoretical level, the perceived role of a « teacher » never did appeal to me much. A rebellious teen in junior high, I never imagined myself in the teacher role as a lifelong profession. My identity as a teacher just gradually emerged as I deconstructed the stereotypical image that I once had as a teen.
Source: Anna PanuntoCohen J.L 2008; Hung 2008 discusses identity in the literature of teacher education and more specifically in socio-political contexts. Not having any formal teacher education, I gradually drew my models from mentors that were either seasoned teachers or school directors in my given school environment in the world of adult education.
More often than not, my adult learners are always surprised to discover that I am also an artist. Yet, how does being an artist fit in with my teacher role in society? In general, people will agree that artists are simply curious folks that seek inspiration and from that inspiration – create something. I create many things be it in the written word or in the visual arts. Over the years, my students’ reactions have been somewhat unpredictable – some will smile and say that they too are artists while others will look surprised. My response, is always slightly defensive to the surprised ones, “I write, paint, and take photos and I like to include art in my class”.
Source: Anna Panunto 
Source: Anna Panunto 
Source: Anna Panunto
It is salient to say that I am an unconventional human being. I don’t look nor act my age and I certainly don’t dress the part of a middle-aged woman! So who am I- really? Perhaps, the best response to this question comes from a spontaneous online interview that took place with Syrian journalist Hala Aljabar in October 2022 http://www.emsbupdate.com/2020/10/interview-with-high-school-of-montreal.html? During the interview, I was asked a rather insightful question: What is the relationship between Anna as a teacher and Anna as a writer? Surprisingly, my response was multifold : The relationship between Anna as a teacher and Anna as a writer is that in both situations, my goal is to provide freedom of expression. I’m validating their voices that come from different places… Teaching English as a second or third language in a professional context is teaching others to express themselves in varying contexts – formally and informally. My writing part is another world altogether. Now, we are entering the abstract world – one that is metaphorical, filled with imageries, heightened senses, and symbolism stemming from my past experiences whereas my teaching is more practical, informative, resourceful etc… Yet, the question remains – how do these different worlds truly correlate? Is my artist identity built around the persona that I may or may not have created for myself ? When people read my stories, watch my plays or view my photogrpahs who do they imagine? And is my teacher identity one that is soley based on building healthy teacher- student relationships, professional development, and curriculum based content? Am I the same person filling two different roles and how does that make me feel?
Over the years, I experimented with this by introducing my art work in the E.S.L Adult classroom and furthermore, encouraged my adult learners to do the same. At the end of every session, we dedicated a couple of classes doing this. I was always pleasantly surprised to discover for instance that the Russian doctor in my class has a hobby that involves taking amazing nature photographs and that the Iranian lab scientist in my class is an incredible painter. The sharing of creativity has always been a heart-warming experience in the classroom. One time, a student from Syria ( former actress in Damascus) said it best, « Anna, we are many people in one body and why should we limit ourselves to just one identity? Maybe, by being many people in one, we can understand the world better.” At that moment, the notion of identity all became clear. I am an artist who teaches adults and I am a teacher who receives creative inspiration. All the pieces of my puzzle finally made sense! Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Stephen King were teachers. In fact, it even makes sense that artists are indeed teachers. By creating art, we automatically accept the creative process in the classroom. Language learning can be a creative process. It has been said that learning a new language can expand your brain’s ability to think and for most adult learners, this is facilitated by learning in creative/unconventional ways. Language learning is not just about linguistic ability but also about understanding culture. And over the years, I have always searched for new and innovative ways of having my students express themselves in the English language. There you have it- the answer was right in front of me the whole time!
Anna Panunto has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters degree in Education both at Mcgill University. She has been an Adult education teacher since 1997 and has taught ESL, Business English, Academic English, and Communication and Cultural Patterns. She teaches at two schools and over the years has published articles on education and given workshops and seminars at several community centers. She has been a freelance writer most of her life and has published poetry, fiction-non-fiction short-stories, produced and wrote a play. She is also a painter and dabbles with digital photography.