What a great experience this really was to be able to be a part of! Personally, I got a lot out of this and came to the realization of a lot of things. The first thing I really came to the conclusion too was how lucky I was to go to a suburban school that supplied me with an abundant number of resources and classes, I never through about how some schools can’t provide that for some students. Something else I caught on to was how compassionate these teachers truly are from their students even considering hoe exhausted they are. These teachers definitely are passionate about what they do and that is all I can hope to be as a teacher one day! This was an emotional, enlightening, and well valued experience.
Three Ah-Ha moments:
1. My very first Ah-Ha moment during this zoom was when one of the teachers was saying “suburban schools have all these art classes and science labs and even stages for drama classes... we have none of that” this was overwhelming for me to hear because That is something, I always had provided for me and I never realized how lucky and fortunate I was to have those resources.
2. Another of my Ah-Ha moments I heard was one of the speakers explaining that connecting with students on a petrosal level is important because it creates a better classroom environment! It was great to know that even though these teachers have a little bit more struggles due to the schools they are in, they still take a chance on their students, make them a #1 priority, and care for them abundantly.
3. My third Ah-Ha moment was that the speakers claimed that the school was placed in between two gangs and they have continuously watched students be a part of the gangs or get caught up. This is something I never took into account as someone who only attended suburban schools.
Two connections between what I heard in class and something we learned in class
1. The first connection I noticed was a social/emotional retreat where they shut the school down, bring in speaks, and motivate students about not joining gangs and staying educated for their own well-being. I wrote this down as a connection because I learned it is important to take the time for mental health for middle level students because they are still developing and becoming their own person, so it was good to know this school takes the time to talk about mental health.
2. The second connection was these teacher’s taking extra care of the “brown and black community” as she had claimed herself. This was a connection because I am always reading about the bias between black and brown students versus white and its always the white students getting the privilege. It was good to hear that isn’t something these teachers put up with and it is good to know these students are getting the education everyone deserves.
Hi Madison! I really enjoyed reading your post, I also thought that this was an incredible experience to hear how passionate these women are about their students. I had a same ah ha moment when the women were talking about the school being right in the middle of 2 gangs, I had never had to worry about something like that in school. It was shocking to hear about how some of their students get lost in being in one of those gangs and then it makes everything harder for them in the future.
I am glad the immersion experience was meaningful for you. It is true that there is a lot of inequity in schools (and school funding). This is something I would encourage you to continue to learn more about and consider ways you might advocate.