Reading about the personal sacrifices and difficulties that the Lee family faced in the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, as well as the stories that Marsha Shigeyo Hawley and Shaun-Adrian Chofla shared of their own childhood experiences, were the most influential to me. It is easy to be provided with information through literature, but to hear someone’s thoughts and feelings of their own intimate experiences sheds a deeper light on the challenges they have faced and what has helped them move forward. These three individual stories have motivated me to want to learn more about the lives of the students of whom I teach, and what I can do to provide them with a better chance for a successful future.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Information and Insights
My experience throughout this course has been one that was filled with both information and insights. The multitude of challenges that young children must face today was revealed to me in an eye-opening manner, and is truthfully something that I cannot close my mind to. Knowing now that most young children will encounter challenges such as abuse, violence, death, poverty, disability, parental separation and divorce, as well as the need to learn another language or culture, signifies the importance of learning how these challenges impact a young child’s development and well-being.
Reading about the personal sacrifices and difficulties that the Lee family faced in the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, as well as the stories that Marsha Shigeyo Hawley and Shaun-Adrian Chofla shared of their own childhood experiences, were the most influential to me. It is easy to be provided with information through literature, but to hear someone’s thoughts and feelings of their own intimate experiences sheds a deeper light on the challenges they have faced and what has helped them move forward. These three individual stories have motivated me to want to learn more about the lives of the students of whom I teach, and what I can do to provide them with a better chance for a successful future.
Reading about the personal sacrifices and difficulties that the Lee family faced in the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, as well as the stories that Marsha Shigeyo Hawley and Shaun-Adrian Chofla shared of their own childhood experiences, were the most influential to me. It is easy to be provided with information through literature, but to hear someone’s thoughts and feelings of their own intimate experiences sheds a deeper light on the challenges they have faced and what has helped them move forward. These three individual stories have motivated me to want to learn more about the lives of the students of whom I teach, and what I can do to provide them with a better chance for a successful future.
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Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour blog post is a great reflection of this course. We certainly have been provided with great strategies for providing our students and their families with the best possible educational experience. We must always strive to learn more, do more, and provide more if we truly want to provide that positive experience.
Leigh Anne
Thank you Leigh Anne!
DeleteJulie
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThis course has provided us with ample information that can help our journey through teaching. Reading and listening to first hand accounts about the effects biases and different traumas have on families is an eye opener. This course has shown us the importance that understanding, learning, and communcation has on building relationships with families. Great post!!
I agree Brittini, and thank you for your reply!
DeleteJulie
Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour post was insightful and well read... my thoughts are aligned with yours when you stated that children face so many uneventful challenges in their lives that could rob them of their hopes and dreams, steal their smiles-replaces them with frown, but yet they preveal with resilence. I continue to think upon my student who yet smile inspite of the think that yet again her and her family are out on the street with no place to live...again!!!! But yet she smiles wiith joy in her heart and a pep in her step...she makes me see that my bad days aren't bad at all!!! She amazes me.... This course has reconfirmed for me how important communication is between family and the teacher, and how vital it is that we have a postive relationship with our students. That as practitioners that we are not bias in any way, that we embrace every culture with open arms and see its value. So the child will see how special he or she is, because that is the bottom line. Thanks again for your post!
Joy Overflowing,
April
April,
DeleteThank you for such a heartfelt reply!
Julie
Julie,
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about these particular resources. I have been interested for quite some time on the impact that Story has on our learning and development, both as children and as adults. Your reflection highlights something I've been thinking about throughout this class: perhaps it is these personal narratives which will ultimately help each of us be an agent for social change, more than the volumes of empirical research that we need to read in order to back up our passion.
I've enjoyed your insights throughout the class.
All the best,
Stephanie
Thank you, Stephanie!
DeleteAll the best to you as well!
Julie
Julie, I am touched that my story, which you viewed in your course, was so meaningful. Glad to be a part of your journey, even if just in a video.
ReplyDeleteWith care,
Shaun-Adrian