During the SD immersion day, we started out by reflecting on ideas of service and privilege within the CASA center in the SLP. Additionally, we reviewed videos about students who cross the border daily to attend school and discussed how we might support our students facing this challenge. To begin our journey of empathy and perspective taking, we arrived at Friendship park and met with a border patrol agent and a gentleman who works with border angels. After our time at the border, we journeyed to Via International in Barrio Logan and met with community members regarding teaching unaccompanied minors and community activism through spoken word and delicious vegan food. We also walked around the community and passed out flyers for an event Via International is participating in; which also gave us the opportunity to see the homes our students could be living in. Lastly, we met with Spanish-only or bilingual moms of students in Linda Vista and hear their perspectives on what makes a quality teacher in terms of the supporting their students and parent engagement. Two weeks later, we met again in the SLP at the CASA center. During this time, we prepped our lessons to teach to the scouts. Once we crossed the border we met the Scouts, taught our mini lessons, and ate lunch made my community members. After the Scouts, we journeyed to friendship park. After time for reflection, we sat in the border line and ate yummy churros.
My role or objective for the day, was to immerse myself whole-heartedly. What I mean by that, is that my role was to be a human being and engage in conversations, actively listen, observe, smile, and laugh. I was there to be present with my own thoughts and actions and with those of others. Additionally, my role involved planning and implementing an equity activity centered on community. In the activity, students were in two teams and tasked with acquiring all the resources (10 balls) needs to sustain a community. However, since there was only 10 resources (balls) today, the teams needed to think through how both communities could be sustain which involved moving the hula hoops instead of the balls. During the activity, my role as teacher became a co-teacher with the amazing translator Alejandra, which was an enlightening and informative experience. During this trip my learning was confirmed and shifted in two specific instances. The first, my learning was confirmed in the sense that children in Tijuana are just like any other kids in any other county. Between my previous trips to T.J. during USD undergrad and this trip, I am continuously reminded that the humans on either side of the border are the same – they smile, laugh, cry, want a higher quality of life, need community, need education, etc. During our time at friendship park I smiled at the sight of multiple girls dressed beautifully for their quinceaneras. These girls were surrounded by their court of best girlfriends and their family beaming with pride. Three different quinceaneras and yet the scene was the same. I began to think about how many sweet 16 birthday parties were happening in the U.S. at that moment as well. Especially in San Diego on such a beautiful day. See these girls again confirmed my thoughts when I came to T.J. for the first time – we are really all the same – humans looking for love and support. This trip also shifted my beliefs in a way I hadn’t expected. I have only been to TJ a few times – always with USD and never on my own. I don’t have a great attachment to the city, although some of the people certainly have stolen a piece of my heart. Yet, in preparing for this trip I thought I was going in unbiased because I had been to the poorer parts of TJ. before and knew what to expect. But when we got the Scouts park, as I was ready to talk with the scouts and jump into the activities of the day, I was surprised by the judgement in my mind. This judgement was not about TJ or the scouts, but rather judgement of my peers – my familiarity with TJ although minimal compared to some, clouded my ability to realize that others around me may be experience the shock I experienced my first time seeing the poorer areas of TJ. My cohorts said “it is just dirt? I was picturing grass – they kept saying it was a park.” While my brain was saying “yup, this is it, now let’s have some fun!” My cohorts again “I have this whole lesson planned out I don’t know how it is going to work out.” While my brain was saying, “We are here in their community to share insight but ultimately allow them to reveal to us their understandings.” I caught myself multiple times judging my peers for the Americanized view they were bringing in to our experience – and forgot that my role was not to judge others but to invite people into the special places of Tijuana which I have found a sense of “home” in. In terms of multiculturalism, I was interested in a conversation with my peers about boy/girl scouts versus a non-gender binary scouts. This difference between America’s scouts and TJ’s scouts is significant and something to consider. I struggle with gender binary biases in America constantly and seeing the scouts in TJ made my truly wonder what differences in society would be present if our scouts and other organizations were not gender binary. Additionally, I thought about language in terms of the multiple languages the scouts and ourselves as teachers with a translation, and the connection of languages between what could be understood and what couldn’t. While speaking broken Spanish has always been my reality, speaking with a translator was a new experience for me and I questioned how bored the scouts might be having to listen to a language they might have minimal understanding in, just to have it repeated by someone speaking their own language. As an educator, I want to be active in my school’s community. Whether it was our delicious lunch being prepared for us by a community family in TJ or seeing the community organizations and leaders at Via International or listening to the mothers in Linda Vista – I truly gained a sense of the importance of creating connections not only with my students but with the community. Hearing the stories of children who are unaccompanied minors or seeing the power the scouts organization to allow joy and pride to be present on the faces of children encouraged me to think of community inside and outside the classroom. It is important to create a community within class so everyone feels welcome and some students may receive a sense of peace they do not gain at home; and expanding my community beyond the classroom will encourage immersion not only with our neighboring border country, but with the people I see every day picking up their children or at the grocery store and yet have never immersed with. It is ironic that community was also the topic of my scouts lessons, but I truly feel creating community is what I will carrying into my future work.
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I was asked for an assignment to create a culturally responsive "Stakeholder Interview." This interview was to be about gaining background on a student and could be directed at admin, counselors, parents, peers; I choose parents:
Creating these questions was not an easy task. It is interesting, when asked to develop a conversation – something we do on a daily basis – stress and difficulty arises. This might be because our daily conversations are not based on meaningful relationships – which relates directly to Sean’s discussion on restorative practices. Ultimately in creating these questions, I thought to myself, if I was a parent what questions would I want to be asked. This thinking may lead to a bias of my wishes and not the wishes of others – but I am who I am. I can only develop questions that are within my own understanding and I made note to add a question in which the parent may feel empowered to bring up their own topics of conversation. When developing this interview – I starting thinking “I should have about 10 questions to cover all the topics Dr. Jez said we “may include.” Then looking at my fingers hoovering over the keyboard unaware how to start, I realized it is not about covering everything or having a set number to constrain me. Instead, being culturally responsive is being open to the person in front of you and giving them the opportunity to share what they think is important. The most important aspect of being culturally responsive in developing these questions is giving voice to those who need to be heard. One of the major focuses of my seminar class has been creating an atmosphere of care within the classroom. Throughout the past few weeks, this has been seen through my professors' opening circles, constant encouragement, shared success/failure stories, and appraisal of hard work and effort at the end of a long day. All of these I would consider as examples of both relationship building and resiliency.
Similar to “relationship building” is “relationship skills” which is one of the 5 core Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competences promoted by CASEL. In my SEL elective class, we looked at articles in which relationship skills was exemplified by two specific examples: respectful talk and student buckets. Respectful talk was modeled both by Sherwanda Chism’s use of accountable talk steams and the Edutopia video of School 21 in England which focuses on Oracy in the Classroom. The similar aspect of these two examples was the desire for student voice and discussion and talking steams (I agree, I disagree, While __ was convincing with his/her/their point of _____, I would like to address ____). These steams are important because they build relationships by creating respect between the parties involved. Additionally, student buckets is an idea that promotes affirmations. While this idea of what fills your bucket may appeal to the elementary age kids, with secondary education I believe it is also important; not only for talking steams and seminars to allow students to learn and respect each other, but to additionally affirm each other which could be done verbally or through affirmation submission which could be posted in the room. For example, today during class one of my students had a very insightful thought and I pointed out verbally and by name the students and the excellent point they made. Ultimately, what Bambara argues and design thinking and restorative circles all relate to is, the idea that teachers need to provide students guidance in relationship building skills and opportunities to practice in class. Students may not have been taught how to communicate their feelings, students may not have been taught how to disagree with someone politely, students may not have been taught to affirm someone – it is my role as teachers to TEACH them and give them opportunity to OWN it for themselves. Attending the homecoming festivities, was a special treat for a high school student teacher. I was amazing at the football game by the food booths designed by the clubs and enjoyed spending some quality time with fellow teachers and student teachers. The most amazing thing about the homecoming game compared to other games, however, is the halftime show. Seeing students preform with their varying organizations and watching the students in the stands as they support there senior peers walk down the red carpet was inspirational. Homecoming is about alumni coming home, and this was on my mind as I considered the fact that while I was at Bonita, I was missing my own alma mater's game at home. Yet, I smiled with joy thinking to myself - now I have two alma maters because Bonita will always be the school of my first teaching experience.
The game wasn't the only inspirational event of the weekend however. Every day I see students enter my class in jeans and t-shirts, but Saturday, all dressed up - looking fancy at Sea World for the Homecoming dance was a moment when I saw my students sparkle. And not just my students, but all grades. Working the check-in table, I was able to greet a variety of students and see the special bond between students and teachers as they were excited to see specific teachers working the event. Reflecting on Homecoming - I think about how much of high school is really "home." I always refrained from using that word because of the connotation for some students whose home lives may be triggering to bring the idea of "home" to school. Alternatively, school is where students spend a majority of their day, and I believe if high schools really accepted this concept of homecoming and encouraged it throughout the year - bringing in alumni to speak, creating a home within classes, and a system of support between the grades, then homecoming may become more than a dazzling halftime show and sparkling dance; it would be a true symbol of coming home. |
AuthorGrowing with students in the garden of life. Archives
August 2020
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