High School Student Middle Eastern Muslim Heterosexual Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: If I am being completely honest, the only thing I have in common with my teachers is that they are mostly female – that is it. I have never encountered a Middle Eastern or even a Muslim teacher in the time that I have been in school. However, with the recent politics it is very comforting to know that many of my teachers share some of my same beliefs or at least support me in expressing my own ideas and opinions. After the inauguration this past January and after all the political protests and sadly the many violent acts against specific groups of people it was very easy to feel alone. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I came to school and almost all of my teachers and all of the office staff were wearing pins with different messages that preached equality, freedom of expression, and safety. Although I do not have a very direct commonality with my teachers, it is comforting to know that they are so accepting of who I am and whom I represent. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think it is so incredibly important for students and teachers to have things in common because it brings them closer together. Even though it is not commonly viewed this way, teachers and students have a very special and intimate relationship. Teachers help students build their character, their interests, and ultimately their future. The exchange of information that happens between a student and a teacher is so valuable and so important. However, if a student does not feel like they can trust or feel close to their teacher then it is very likely that they will not absorb the material. A teacher’s job is not to stand in front of a class and lecture their students. A teacher’s job is to connect with students and help them interpret the information and apply it to their own lives. In addition, when it comes to education, communication is one of the most important factors. If the student does not feel like they have anything in common with their teachers then that line of communication can very quickly be closed. If a student has something going on at home that prohibits them from finishing their homework, or if they are going through certain mental health issues, they need to have comfort in knowing that their teacher is someone they can come and talk to. I have seen multiple situations where a student is too afraid to talk to their teacher and ask for help because they feel like they will not understand. Having something in common with a teacher makes them less scary and more approachable. They no longer become a daunting adult, but rather a friend and someone that can easily be approached. Recently, my mosque was burned down in a very unfortunate case of arson. Coming to school and having multiple teachers ask me if I was okay, if it was the mosque I attended, and if there was anything I needed really made me feel like they cared about me and what was happening in my life both inside and outside of the classroom. I am thankful to have had amazing teachers in all my life in school and I really do believe it is because I was able to build relationships with them based on commonalities and trust.
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Middle School Student African African American Female First Generation American Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I have moved to various different schools in three different school districts and most of my teachers did not relate to me by where I came from. I had mostly girl teachers. I had one teacher that was a male in the first grade. However, all of my teachers were white. While I was born in America, my mom and dad were born in Kenya and they moved to America for work. Now I can tell you that none of my teachers were African so it was hard to relate to them culture-wise. Although some teachers I could get something in common with. For example, my fourth grade teacher loved to read and write and get creative, so I could talk with her about books and poets and get to know her and create a bond. But then I moved to a new school and that bond had been mostly broken and I had to create another bond with another teacher in a new school. All my teachers had various personalities so it was hard to pick out every piece of myself to understand how to talk and relate to them. None of my teachers really tried to get to know me better, or to ask me question about myself or childhood or anything, and they didn’t really take much care in telling about themselves and showing me a side of them. There were even times when I could not talk to my friends or I could not make friends so easily partly because I moved a lot and partly because I did not relate to other kids. What I had with my teachers was not much but I seemed to connect to the other staff much more. The office assistant was an African American so sometimes I would like talking to her and have help from her. Another thing that helped is that my mom was mostly in the school I went to so I could talk to her but sometimes you might want to get away from your mom and talk to someone new. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think it is very important for teachers to have something in common with their students. Coming from a person who has moved to many schools, for me, I think it would have been easier to learn from my teachers if I did connect to them. Although having differences with my teachers did start up conversations about my different experiences. Also, I got to learn a little more about their culture and what they liked and how it even related to my experiences even though we are from two different places. The only thing that bothered me a little is that my teachers were usually all from the same place and the same culture so when I kept moving I was thinking maybe I would learn something new and I didn’t. But I learned their likes and hobbies. I had one teacher who was a little tough on the kids and I thought to myself, maybe if I started a conversation with her I can get her perspective, but I never found anything in common with her. Later on that made me realize the importance of having something in common with someone. Middle School Student White Male Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I unsurprisingly don’t have much in common with my current teachers. I mean, obviously everyone has some things in common with their teachers--we're all human, right? However, things like being human, and being alive, those really broad and abstract things really do not matter. For nearly all of my teachers I have not been able to connect on a personal level to find out things we may have in common. I am male and I have only had three non-substitute teachers who were male. I am also white and nearly all of my teachers have been white from grades K-6. I cant quite grasp how much that interferes with the education of my friends of color. So the two teachers I think Identify with the most would be my 4th and 5th grade teachers. Both of them are male and Caucasian, like me, but there are other things that connect me to those teachers too. One of the best memories I have that bonds me to my 4th grade teacher was when everybody was sharing what they had done over a three-day weekend and once the people who wanted to share had finished, my teacher said, “Who spent the whole weekend playing Halo the Master Chief Collection?” He raised his hand and obviously expected nobody else to raise their hand. And nobody did. Not one single hand was in the air out of the 48 hands in our class, except my teacher's, and of course mine. This small memory seems kind of small and unimportant, but this has meant a lot to me because at that moment I just felt so connected to my teacher and it really helped me pay attention and just realize class is actually worthwhile. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I personally think that having things In common with your teachers in absolutely critical. Words cannot explain how important I think this is. I definitely believe that the teachers who have things in common with their students are the ones who have the biggest impact on students' education and, just as importantly, who the students turn out to be. I also think that it is way easier to teach somebody who you are able to identify with them. One thing that I think is the reason that having things in common with your teachers enhances your education (and basically your life) is that having things in common with somebody helps you humanize them. Instead of seeing them as just another random person you see them as an actual human. Instead of seeing your teacher as just another person trying to tell you stuff, you see them as a human with human qualities and an interesting personality. If you are able to see the humanity in your teachers it will help you understand them so much more. There is so much to say about this but it’s hard to put it into words. As somebody who has had many teachers I have not related to, I really think this needs to change. There are a LOT of students who have their education and life limited by the fact that their teachers/mentors don’t seem even that human. High School Student Korean + American Female First Generation American First Child Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: What I have in common with my teachers is a sense of individuality. Of passion. In fact, my favorite teachers are the ones who say sarcastically and endearingly, "Oh honey, if I was in it for the money, I would not be teaching." It goes unnoticed by students often, and our relationships with teachers often become a routine one of gives homework, does homework; teaches lesson, asks question; writes test, takes test. But, teachers go into teaching because they were so passionate and so in love with their subject that they chose to dedicate their entire lives to sharing their source of happiness with the next generation. And that's pretty cool because I want my life to be one driven by passion, an excitement for living, and the desire to live nobly and selflessly for a cause too. I have teachers who, like me, love to be active in their community and are constantly buzzing with activity. It feels like as the student, I am simultaneously being inspired by their invigoration with life, AND inspiring them in the same way as well! It feels nice to know that there are adults in my life who are just as active and excited about their community as I am. It feels reassuring to know that even when I'm in the workforce, like them, I'll be able to maintain my passions and actively live life. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: As with any human relationship, similarities between students and teachers do make it easier to develop personal bonds. It's like a support system. We are at school every day, and we see our teachers every day. Teachers are the easiest people to access as a resource, and when we have similarities with these adults who we can look up to, it just feels nice. With me, I had wanted so badly to do something for the undocumented migrant workers that I had volunteered with every summer, but many adults in my life told me, "It's a very noble thought but you're just a high schooler. Leave that for college. You'll have plenty of time to find your passions then. Focus on your schoolwork, SAT, and school clubs. That's plenty enough already." I didn't feel like they understood me. Also, I'm from a very Korean background, and I realized that most of the adults telling me to drop my hopes of helping the workers, were in fact, Korean. I don't blame them for not understanding how I felt and how personal this cause was to me. Korea is a very homogeneous country. These adults, having grown up in 70s Korea, hadn't been exposed from a young age to diversity in culture and in people, like I had here in America. They didn't understand that I felt like I could relate to migrant workers. I am the type of person who's only talent is working hard. I'm not a math prodigy or born-poet. When I saw the migrants working so hard, I felt like I had to do something for them. For me, if I worked hard in school, I knew I would do well. They deserved that reassurance too. If you work hard, you should be able to do anything. Then, I met Ms. Leong. She was the only adult involved in my academic life who, for the first time, had gotten me to open up about my passion to support migrant workers. She told me she saw much of her younger self in me. She gave me the type of advice that in 20 years, I would probably want to give to my 16-year-old self. She told me, "Change starts with an individual, but is executed by a team--so go surround yourself by like-minded people." She is an activist, and is incorporating her passions into her daily life. Without having had Ms. Leong recognize me as the activist that I am and lead me and provide me resources to develop my passion, I can't imagine how different I would be. The fact that Ms. Leong and I had something in common--a passion for equality in rights and in dignity, so strong that we could not possibly suppress it--has changed my life for the better. I think it is also important to me that she is female, is also of Asian background, and is such an activist. We have much in common, which made it easier for me to be inspired by her and open up to her. Now she is a mentor, a great role model, and an awesome grown-up friend. to me. Rachel is currently getting ready for her senior year in high school filled with activism and college applications. She has spent her summers volunteering with migrant workers throughout her high school years. |
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