#10 - Age

This topic was a hard one for my group to cover in class.  The book seemed to jump all over the place and not focus on anything age-specific, but touched on every topic we've discussed in the class.  We wanted to bring in different areas that can be age-related in the presentation.  The skits the groups presented were great representations of various scenarios that educators experience in the classroom.  It is essential that teachers take necessary steps to love, protect, teach, and help their students however they can -- even though it may not be easy.  Legal and ethical responsibilities fall into our hands, and we need to prioritize the students' safety, well-being, and success.

I was once my students' age.  I have walked in their shoes.  Yes, times have changed, but overall people are still the same inside.  Technology, fashion, family structure, transportation, and values have changed since I was in school.  While these things have changed, some may argue that they have improved society, while others may argue they've changed to the detriment of our culture.  One thing that stands out to me is the way that my generation communicates versus the generation in school now.  I enjoy face-to-face conversations or phone calls, while kids now have a hard time communicating in person and would rather send a text message over actually speaking to someone.

As an educator, I obviously am older than my students.  This age difference provides me with opportunities to stand up for my students when they cannot do so for themselves.  I have a responsibility to protect them, help them, and care for them.  I need to be a voice for those who may not have one.  This may carry over into the childhood obesity epidemic.  I can model how to live a healthy lifestyle, how to have balance, and how to make healthy choices all around. All in all, how can I use my age and stage to better the lives of my students while they are in the age and stage they are?

#9 - Geography

I liked the activity at the beginning of class.  The presenting group had the students move around the room and write on "graffiti boards" about the various thoughts and stereotypes we hold of different regions in the US.  It was interesting to see how my views were similar or different than those of my classmates.  I also realized how my views are my opinions, not necessarily facts of those regions.  When I was writing, I tried to think of people I know who are from those regions and how I view them...but I realized that my friends do not always fit my previously held views of that area.

I grew up in northeastern Oklahoma, then went to college in south Texas in San Antonio.  I had quite a culture change when I moved 520 miles south of my hometown.  Oklahoma was "small town", and I moved to a "big city" with over a million people...most of whom spoke Spanish as their first language.  It was my second.  I moved from a place with four distinct seasons to a place with one-and-a-half: summer and not-as-hot-summer.  I moved from beautiful colors of leaves in the fall to green all year.  I moved from having to wear winter coats for two months to having to wear jeans and a long-sleeve shirt for two weeks.  I moved from rivers, fields, and green rolling hills to creeks, rocky landscapes, and dry hill country.  But, I loved it and wouldn't change a thing.

My upbringing in Oklahoma instilled certain values:  always work hard, be honest, obey the law, be above reproach, be courteous, be respectful, honor older people, marry a boy from the South, love Jesus, learn to make good cinnamon rolls, and so on.  I feel that most of those values carried over to my move to Texas - and then they increased.  I then learned to value diversity, other languages, and other ways of thinking.  All I knew before was just that -- what I knew.  I didn't realize that other people might think differently, dress differently, and behave differently than I did.  Small thinking from a small town girl.

As I get ready to commence my career in education, I need to realize that people from various geographical locations come with various values, backgrounds, expectations, beliefs, and so much more. I have the choice to accept how they come and integrate their coming into the classroom, or I can choose to make it a harder transition for them and for me.  However, the latter would not be in the best interest of the students or the teacher.  Accepting all people - no matter where they came from - will be the best decision I can make.  That doesn't mean that I don't enforce rules and discipline, but it means that I love all my students equally.  After all, I'm not from here either!

#8 - Religion

This week our class discussed a variety of widely-held belief systems in relation to the education system in America.  Our country has been blessed with people from all around the world.  We have ongoing encounters from other cultures, religions, and people who have a rich foundation from which we can learn. A question that arises often in the education world is: How we can balance these encounters while not interfering with the curriculum and learning goals set before us?

I have a belief that I hold to be true, and it affects every area of my life.  For example, I am in the middle of a career shift from being a pastry chef to teaching middle school Spanish.  This transition did not come lightly, but only after seeking the advice and counsel from many wise people in my life.  I even chose those people based on the sameness of our beliefs.  If my future is going to change in a major way, I want to be sure that those informing my decisions believe the same thing I do.  I have friends from many religions, but for me when it comes to making such changes I want my closest input to be from others who are like-minded.

I know that there is a separation of church and state, but there cannot be a separation of my beliefs and my actions.  I believe that God created earth and man and everything we see, and created a perfect world.  When man decided to go against what God had put into place, sin entered the picture for all mankind.  There was only one way for man to be made right with God again, and that was only something that God could do.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for all of our sins and rise from the dead on the third day...just as He and prophets for hundreds of years had proclaimed He would do.  Both Christians and non-Christians saw Him after He rose, and both recorded their interactions with Him.  I am so thankful that there is not a way that I can work my way into heaven or earn God's forgiveness -- I can only trust God and accept His payment for my sin.  

Believing this has revolutionized my outlook on life - how I interact with my family, friends, neighbors, and anyone else I encounter.  I have a joyful attitude instead of anger, thankfulness instead of jealousy, and forgiveness instead of bitterness.  Knowing God and having a personal relationship with Him has changed my selfish heart to a servant-heart.  He has given me a growing desire to know Him more, and my actions and words reflect my relationship with Him.  In my classroom, I will do my best to love my students unconditionally the way that Jesus has loved me -- it's not about what they can do for me, the scores they will earn, or the way they treat me.  I will extend grace to them like Jesus has extended to me -- it's not about being perfect, but about being willing to improve and understand.  I will use every opportunity to teach -- every situation offers teachable moments where students can learn about character, integrity, morals, and how to become better citizens.  I will forgive -- we all make mistakes and need a second chance, we need to learn conflict resolution, and we can amend broken relationships in and out of the classroom.