Informing a sense of validation and comfort which can be built on to take risks, do things outside of your comfort zone or what you might expect from yourself. I was particularly interested in the phrase ‘Being is about becoming’ instilling the ideas that by having a strong sense of belonging you are able to be comfortable in the present in order to become better. Dr Gurnam Singh explained that his sense of identity is fairly fixed but everyday his is able to embrace ‘becoming-ness’ to explore something new.
Becoming is halted when individual identities are stereotyped and othered. When otherness is celebrated together it can be positive but when otherness is unequal. This is particularly important within teaching as dominance and subjection can be exploited between students and teacher. Consciously or not. It is vital to be aware of and work against such relationships for belonging to truly take place.