As this school year comes to a close, last district group meetings are held, and summer professional development plans grow, I find myself reflecting on my own learning. I do that often.
Today was our last Digital Teaching & Learning Contacts meeting. On the agenda for this group of elementary digital learning leaders were a multitude of resources that could be used to continue learning in those "lame duck" days of school. (Cult of Pedagogy) I spontaneously spoke about those last days of my very first year of teaching. I spent that year teaching right outside of Baltimore, Maryland in a small, but diverse, community. It had a history dating back to the revolutionary war with direct ties to Lafayette, thoroughbred horse farms and the well-to-do families "up the hill", two subsidized housing complexes, as well as two fully operational (end extremely eco-unfriendly) chemical plants - one actually sat pretty much in the school's front yard. I remember that 85% of the students had asthma inhalers in the nurse's medical cabinet. I had a team-taught class, students whose families were struggling with homelessness, doctor's and teacher's children, and a student who took a dislike to me because, as he said, I looked Jewish. I saw a lot that first year that my teacher prep program did not prepare me for. But I am thankful for it all. And at the end of that first year, I remember asking my students to tell me how I had changed as an educator. The first response was, "You don't say 'y'all' as much now." It was a funny moment...and it was true! But then I asked them to teach ME something. Honestly, this group of students had already taught me so much, but I threw the question out anyway. One student said, "Let's teach her how to Double Dutch!" And they did! And I did! They cheered me on and encouraged me, and believe me - we laughed together at my slow progress. But, one important thing I realized in that first year is that - as teachers - we should never stop learning. As educators, we should never stop learning FROM our students - they teach us far more than we can ever imagine!
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AuthorJeannie Timken Archives
March 2023
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