Beautiful Poetry

I loved hearing your “I am from” stories today in class. I admire all of us for taking a chance to write these intimate details about our lives. The people who shared showed tremendous courage, and everyone showed tremendous respect in listening. I’m so curious about all of you and your personal stories. I know that many parts of your lives will remain private, but I’m interested in knowing and supporting all of you in whatever way that I can.

I just finished a reading assigned by Kip Ault for our science class: “Chapter 14: Teacher Negotiating Different Communities” by Dettlage & Southerland from the book Teaching Science to Every Child. This was another reading that tied together so many ideas that we’re learning about, including sharing our personal “I am from” poems today: try different approaches when teaching; allow the curriculum to be inspired by your student’s interests and curiosities; learn from community members, parents, and successful, veteran teachers in your school community; make personal connections with students outside of class, and attend after-school events; do not pity your students for what your culture says they lack in their home lives; there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to learning; lastly, learn about your own culture and past experiences so that you can be aware of your own assumptions and prejudices in how you teach.

I had no idea that this teacher education program was going to be so personal and emotional. I truly thought that we would show up each day and be told the one, best way to teach each subject. What a surprise to find out that learning about myself along the way may be just as important. I know that I’ve shared this realization with some of you already, but today in Zalika’s class I really started to understand it better. I liked what Zalika said about 1) having the courage and vulnerability to share and 2) the empathy and respect to listen and really hear in order to form community. I did not share my poem today; however, I am committed to reading through it again by myself and working through those knots.

I really loved hearing parts of your experiences. Thank you for today.