Bar Room Criticism

I had a conversation in the bar this weekend with a barber/salon coworker about the need for us to be critical of the work that leaves our shop regardless of who the stylist is.  We talked about the critical eye and criticism as a mode to protect our product image and improve the work of each of the artist/ stylist in our shop.  I tried to relate to her some aspects of Berthoff's essay "A Curious Triangle and the Double-Entry Notebook; or, How Theory Can Help Us Teach Reading and Writing".  Of course there was some disconnect in the relationship between the discourse of hair and discourse of writing.  However, as Berthoff suggest, "becoming critical, developing a method, is the best way, I think for teachers and students to learn from one another."  As, we talked about the struggle some stylist have when others are critical of their work and how to best engage that dialogue effectively, I related it to the possibilities in the classroom setting.  As Berthoff suggest, "the meaning of meaning most useful to us is that it is a means: speaking and writing, listening and reading all engage us in the making of meaning by means of language..."  As teachers and students must do in the classroom by developing or expanding a discourse for reading, writing and critical responses to student writing, we must develop a professional discourse in a workplace like a salon that enables coworkers to be empowered in the same way teachers must empower students.