Student as Contortionist and Sword Swallower

Alison Taylor

Abstract

Chapter 6 explores the metaphors of student as contortionist and sword swallower. The art of contortion involves skills of extreme physical flexibility in which performers create seemingly impossible shapes with their bodies. Thinking about students’ acts of contortion highlights the flexibility demanded of (and provided by) the work and study spaces inhabited by different students. This metaphor brings our attention to how working students learn to bend and flex in ways that feel comfortable, or not. Focusing on how and why students bend in particular directions extends my discussion in Chapter 5 of how they adapt as they move across and through studies, work, and other life activities. Sword swallowing involves a great deal of psychological as well as physical preparation. It can take years to learn and has obvious risks since it involves overriding natural defense mechanisms. The metaphor of sword swallowing allows us to reflect on some of the less pleasant aspects of education and work contexts that students endure, including normalizing practices that adversely affect one’s wellbeing. I argue that when students experience inflexibility in one or more domain and are resource-poor, they are more likely to endure difficult situations. This chapter addresses questions about what and who influences how students bend and the costs of hyper-flexibility. It also examines how students talk about pressures and sacrifices. While the HWS study was limited to the experiences of working students during their undergraduate programs, it is clear that students are developing habits of mind and body for future work and life.

This chapter is informed by literature which suggests that flexibility for employees can be double-edged, flexibility for students in higher education is limited, and the reliance of students for financial support on parents and lenders is likely to decrease their ability to bend in the ways they want. Examining the narratives of 10 working students, most of whom work on campus, allows for a closer look at how differences in work affect students. In addition, factors that influence how and in which directions students bend include the features of their studies, other activities they prioritize, and their social locations and resources. Narratives confirm that campus employment program jobs, on average, are more convenient, flexible, and regulated than jobs off campus, and student experiences are generally positive. Financially-insecure students were more likely to work off campus in service jobs that are often more inflexible and exploitative but provide more hours. In comparison, those who are financially secure are more able to bend work and studies in the direction they want because they have the resources to bend back when things get tense. However, students with caring responsibilities find contortion more challenging because such work usually goes unrecognized by universities as well as employers. Inflexibility in one domain reduces students’ flexibility in others. Supports that help students cope with pressure to contort include friend groups and faith communities, flexible work on campus, and supervisors who care. In addition to providing more support for vulnerable students (as I argue in previous chapters too), it is important in my view to make explicit the contradictory expectations students face and reward structures that lead to unhealthy practices.

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Chapter 6 Student as Contortionist and Sword Swallower

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Juggling Rhythms

Working-Student Life in the 21st Century

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Chapter 6 Student as Contortionist and Sword Swallower

Abstract

引用信息

Share Link

Juggling Rhythms

Working-Student Life in the 21st Century

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