Today in our Social Justice class we've been talking about Invisible Identities, privilege, and the things that we take for granted about ourselves.
Something that I have already noticed in myself is that while I am in the majority in a lot of ways, I grew up and have exposed myself to many different circumstances and ways of knowing and learning over the years. When I was 11 my family moved from a very homogenous population to one of the most poverty stricken counties of California where my mom taught at schools where I was not only the minority, but overwhelmingly excluded and distrusted because of my previous life experience. At that age (and the few years that followed), it was extremely hard to be left out, teased, and constantly watching/wondering how people were perceiving me. Today I can see that I never want a student to feel that way in my class, my school, or my community. As I'm approaching my final year of my B.Ed. I've also been increasingly aware of how I perceive myself. For most of my adult life it has been in relation to others: wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, teacher. It is only very recently that I have been defining myself by traits and activities: generous, curious, open-minded, and my newest trait: Runner! For me this shift has been a natural progression, not that the roles I have with others aren't important, but that I have common traits that flow through all my roles, which aren't segregated based on who I'm interacting with. I think a large part of this shift has been directly related to my time in classrooms. Relationship is the single biggest strength in my classroom. I use discretion in what I share with my students, but if there is something I can connect with them about (ranging from Doctor Who to a friend who committed suicide) I will do so. For me, teaching is not only about the subjects, grades, and content, but the context which our humanity allows us to process and use the content we acquire. I am looking forward to my Social Justice class, and getting deeper into my role as a teacher in a socially dynamic community. I will also be presenting (with two of my colleagues) about social justice topics that Aboriginal Students deal with. We're going to be meeting with our faculty Elder(s) who are always amazing and supportive. Have I mentioned how awesome it is that our Faculty has Elders in Residence?
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AuthorI respond to Sarah, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Smoore, Miss Sarah, (and sometimes Mom!). I have been an DL (homeschool!) teacher for 2 years and am now a proud member of the SD35 team! Archives
September 2018
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