Years in education: 4 Korean American immigrant Male Straight First Generation American Former high school English, Comparative Religion, and Race & Ethnicity teacher Q: What did you have in common with your students? A: I'll start with what I did not have in common: wealth. I was the son of poor immigrants, and while I had some educational privilege vis a vis my father, who was a grad student at the University of Washington, we struggled to pay our rent, rarely went out to eat, and exclusively shopped the clearance rack at the Gap. So when I started teaching high school English at the Overlake School, a private school in the heart of Microsoft Country, it was hard to ignore the the luxury brands, top-flight tech gizmos, and general (mis)understanding that success was wholly earned, not inherited. Accompanying any such bastion of pooled resource, of course, was racial homogeneity, and the subtler microagressions and self-inflating savior complexes that serve as an undercurrent to interactions with the Other. And yet as I spent more time there, getting to know my students more personably, I began to witness the suffering that unites us all. Sure, one of my homeroom students' families collected Ferraris, but what was there to enjoy when dad was moving across the country after a nasty divorce and brother had left for college, the family splintered and dispersed? And while I, with greater access to the American Dream than my parents, felt burdened with the need to achieve status and monetary success, validating my parents' sacrifice, these students were in a pressure cooker of their own, surrounded by competitive, wealthy, high-achieving parents who expected their kids to attend an Ivy League school, then go on to realize their obvious genius in realms of business, law, tech, or science. It was this realization, that our worldview as children, no matter where you come from, is limited by that of our parents and our surrounding community, that I began to accept their social blindspots as the target of my mission as an educator, not as evidence of willful negligence rendering them undeserving of my energy or care. I had to overcome my own biases and insecurities regarding class in order to be a more complete educator. Sure, it tested my patience when a student dismissively asked in reference to reservation-bound Native Americans, "Why don't they just leave?", but when I considered the students' lives--family vacations on Kauai, a car for almost every sixteen-year-old, an out-of-state liberal arts college expected, they needed nothing more than to ask that question, and for me to reply as best I could with the reality of our time. Despite the homogenous environment, there were a handful of students that more readily shared my life experience: students of color, and students receiving financial assistance, although the latter were less visible. Most of the former were of East and South Asian descent, so I think it was especially affirming to see someone that looked like them bucking stereotypes in tech country: in his twenties, teaching Literature in a department full of middle-aged white women; coaching sports; singing with the high school choir during free periods; hackey-sacking with the skater kids during lunch; leading a singing-songwriting workshop during project week; and eventually, leaving behind a stable career in education to pursue a life as a independent musician. One student, a reserved Asian-American boy whom I also coached, made sure to pull me aside before I left the school in 2013. He thanked me for coming to Overlake, and told me that having me around was immensely helpful for his confidence, and helped stabilize his sense of identity. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: People who don’t understand that representation matters—especially during childhood, when students are constantly assessing any social limits to self-actualization —are usually those who saw themselves reflected everywhere, from CEO to lovable chimney sweep, rock n roll star to geneticist, pro athlete to high school teacher. It is essential that students have teachers that reflect their identity, be it race, gender, sexual orientation, or interests. Students who feel underrepresented in their school setting will feel further alienated if there are no adult educators that can instill confidence, affirm their individuality, and remind them that, despite social labeling, you alone will construct your identity. This isn’t to say the only effective educators are those that look and think like you. It’s important to have opposing philosophies and a diverse array of ideas and identities—often it’s the search for commonality that can lead to a great teacher-student relationship. But as things stand now in both public and private school sectors, there are few teachers of color, let alone those given the social and financial resources to affect true change within school settings. We need to be recruiting, training, hiring, and retaining underrepresented teachers, and aggressively correcting systematic barriers that stand in the way. Joe is a violinist-looper, singer, rapper, and storyteller who weaves his experiences as a Korean-American immigrant and high school teacher throughout his innovative performances. He has opened for world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, rapper Warren G, and Senator Bearnie Sanders. ROLL CALL founder Kristin Leong interviewed Joe about the joy and heartache of being a bicultural artist for KUOW Public Radio. Get a behind-the-scenes look into their conversation and listen to the 8 minute audio feature here. Learn more about Joe and stay up to date on his latest tour schedule at joekye.com. Photos (c) 2019 Kristin Leong ROLL CALL founder and KUOW Public Radio producer Kristin Leong with Joe Kye in the recording studio at KUOW in Seattle, January 2019. Listen to the audio feature Kristin produced about Joe here.
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Years in Education: 7-10 Male Heterosexual Caucasian First in Family to Graduate From College Upper Elementary & Lower Secondary Math, Language, and Media Literacy Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: There is an archaic notion that an educator must have all of the answers in order to merit their rightful place at the front of the classroom. I think that idea is B.S! Or as my mom would say, "Bologna Slices!" Educators should avoid this trap at all costs. It is divisive and contrary to an engaging learning environment. It only serves to separate the one with the answers from those who are there to seek them out. At the heart of my instruction emerges a multi-strand rope that is threaded by students from all of my classes. We share care, kindness, responsibility, and otherliness within an environment of co-lead learners. In other words we create community, and share a collective duty to grow and strengthen it in common. In my opinion, sharing something in common like this with students must come first before any real learning becomes possible. Hence, why community building is at the foundation. If education was merely about compliance then it would quickly digress into indoctrination instead. Students need to know how much I care before they will be asked to care about what I know. Once established community can protect, support, challenge, be safe to fail, and succeed. Along the path, we become witnesses to the strengths and weaknesses of everyone. I am modelling my own humanity and incredible abilities to make mistakes alongside of the students. We become relentless encouragers of one another. We find the positive in the learning even when it looks like a train wreck in the process. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Long answer: It absolutely matters that students and teachers share things in common. We are a people longing to connect, whether it is on a superficial level of eating at the same restaurants and liking the same music, or at a deeper level of human struggle such as a compassion for social justice issues it is crucial that teachers and students have things in common. When we connect in school, we create community. When we create community, we create a caring classroom. Short answer: Yes. Will is part of the original cohort of TED-Ed Innovative Educators from around the world. Follow his adventures in teaching and learning on Instagram @imagemined, through his escheweducationalist blog, and on Twitter @WillGourley. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 11--15 Male Gay Filipino American Upper Secondary English Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: This is my eleventh year teaching, and in these eleven years I've taught in Mountain View, CA; Rome, Italy; Bonn, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and now Sofia, Bulgaria. I share this because the cultural contexts of the places I have lived and the make up of the student body of each of the schools have been incredibly diverse. In California, the public high school had over 2,000 students from grades 9-12. Students were predominantly White and Asian with a smaller Latino population and even smaller Black population. There was a large achievement gap that was largely divided by race. All the international schools I've worked at have had an average of 800 students from pre-K to grade 12. On average, 20% tended to be American, another 20% host country nationals, and the other 60% of students were a mix from over 40 nationalities. Over 60% of our students are non-native English speakers. Accents and linguistic mistakes are never made fun of. However, apart from a small percentage of scholarship students, most students and their families were wealthy enough to afford a ~$20,000/year education. For embassy children, their country's taxes usually paid for that. Many companies also paid for students' tuition as part of the relocation package. Depending on the context, I've had different similarities with my students. In California, the strongest commonalities were with other students who were immigrants or first generation making sense of a bicultural world - for me it was Filipino values and traditions inside my home and white America outside of it. I connected with the students that were assimilating to become white American, inadvertently assuming that American was better and even growing shame for my ancestral roots. Internationally, the term "third culture kid" is used quite often: the first culture being the culture the students' parents are from, the second is the current country they live in, and the third is the amalgamation of the two. This phenomenon is what we have in common - guests in a new world never fully connected with our home country or the one we live in. However, regardless of these varying cultural contexts I've lived in, one thing I have in common with some of my students wherever I am is my sexuality. As a gay man, I connect with my students that are either in the closet or are out and proud. We share a common thirst for safe spaces, constantly having our feelers out to ensure we have be ourselves otherwise passing for straight when we cannot. Living as an expat compounds the complexity of this as each culture has different laws and norms for the gay community. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes and no. Commonality has this powerful ability to build relationships. When I find out a student speaks Spanish or German or Italian, for example, I speak to them in that language to make that linguistic connection and share our cultural experiences. Ironically, commonality also as the power to create xenophobia. Too often, students from the same country will only hang out with each other because of the comfort in their similarities but also then to build negative stereotypes of other groups. Teachers are guilty, too, of having an affinity for students that we have things in common with sometimes letting those that we don't connect with slip through the cracks. Josefino is a TED-Ed Innovative Educator. Follow him on Twitter @josefinor and read about his expat adventures as a teacher abroad on Medium @josefinor. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 4-6 Middle Eastern Male Heterosexual Immigrant Film and Mass Media Community College Instructor Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I am a product of the community college system. I emigrated to the US in 1994, and ended up in upstate NY. I was 19, nervous about being in a new country, and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Community college was instrumental in my life. It introduced me to many academic fields that interested me (and some that didn’t). I enjoyed philosophy, and sociology. But it was theatre that won my heart and soul. It was theatre, and the teachers who taught it, that made me believe in myself, and pushed me toward success. It is a rare occurrence when I get a student in my class who’s from the Middle East, so I don’t usually have any ethnic similarities with my students. But I have so much in common with my students. Some of them are international students, and I recognize their difficulty in navigating a system they might be unfamiliar with, a culture that may seem alien, or a language that they haven’t quite mastered yet. Some of my students don’t know what path they want to take in life, and may lack the confidence it takes to be successful. I know that feeling, and lived through many uncertain times in my life where I doubted myself. I’ve failed again and again on my way to success. Some of my students go through these times of self-doubt. I know what that feels like. I had a full time job while going to college, and I took out student loans. It was difficult to make ends meet, and pay for college at the same time. Some of my students are juggling college work, full time jobs, and kids. I know what that feels like as well. I’ve lived it. I also share a love of culture with my students. Listening to music, (event though we may listen to very different things), watching films, playing video games, watching sports, reading books, and listening to podcasts. There is so much that I have in common with my students. Community college is a wonderfully diverse arena that brings people from all walks of life together. It is a manifestation of what America looks like. If we listen hard enough, the similarities are deafening. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: This question gives me pause. Because we all have things in common with our students and teachers. The question is how much are we willing to look for them? It’s important for a student to see part of themselves in their teacher. It strengthens the personal bonds, and make it easier to succeed. The best teachers I remember where the ones who truly cared. I had a teacher in grad school who took the time to read Thomas Friedman’s “From Beirut to Jerusalem” in order to understand my background, and what I and my family may have gone through before arriving in the US. That meant the world to me, and made me want to work harder. Because I knew that she cared. She showed me that even though we come from very different backgrounds, we both shared a sense of curiosity, empathy, and that longing for human connection. A racial similarity with my students is an easy one to find. But I like to look for other similarities. And once I find them, learning and teaching become more enjoyable, and more meaningful. In addition to being a teacher at Everett Community College, Zaki is also Humanities Washington's Program Director where he oversees the Think & Drink and Speakers Bureau programs which are held across the state in partnership with libraries, museums, schools, historical societies, bars and wineries, and more. Connect with Zaki on Twitter @ZakiSeapod and find his Humanities Washington events at Humanities.org. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 20+ Black + White Straight Male Former K-12 Teacher Current Hip Hop, Sports Culture, and Intercultural Communications Professor Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: One commonality I share with my students is the relationship of learning that flows freely between us. The student-teacher dynamic is sometimes viewed through a didactic, one-way lens which suggests classroom learning runs in a single direction: from teacher to student. As someone who has literally taught all levels from kindergarten to graduate school over the course of 25 years in the field, I can say without hesitation that I’ve learned far more from those students than they could have ever learned from me. Being a black male kindergarten teacher in the 1990s, I may have seemed like a unicorn to public schools, but at Zion Preparatory Academy I was just one of a number of African American men working in K-5 classrooms. Lessons from both the personal and pedagogic relationships with those 5 and 6 year-olds, which included the intentional building of “academic self-esteem,” have helped make me the teacher I am today. Another thing we have in common is a desired outcome of success. While I have seen very few, if any, students who truly did not want to be successful, I have come across a number of teachers who, either by theory or practice, express expectations and a professional cynicism which amounts to removing the wings from an airplane then expecting it to fly. The argument that these negative attitudes on the part of the teacher can be subconscious does not minimize the damage done, and in fact only emphasizes the need to practice rigorous and regular professional introspection. A genuine expectation of success, even if it is not achieved by all, still allows students to operate within a context of authentic teacher investment. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, it does. The follow-up question is: What are those things? For example, much has been made about the relatively low numbers of teachers of color in the United States. However, I’ve seen firsthand that being a person of color is not an automatic qualifier to be an effective teacher for students of color. On the flip side, I have also witnessed proof that being white does not automatically disqualify one from effectively educating students of color. In all cases it is the educational professional’s responsibility to initiate and nurture ties with students, which then can provide the proper foundation for relationship scaffolding. Daudi Abe is a Seattle-based professor, writer, and historian who has taught and written about culture, race, gender, education, communication, hip-hop, and sports for over 20 years. He has appeared on national media such as MSNBC and The Tavis Smiley Show. His forthcoming book is Emerald Street: A History of Hip-Hop in Seattle. Learn more about Dr. Abe at drdaudiabe.com. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 7-10 White Heterosexual Male High School English and Theory of Knowledge Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I work with students whose identities and backgrounds are largely very different from my own. Their life experiences and their relationships to school are shaped by a set of cultural, socio-economic, and institutional factors that I can't claim to have a full understanding of. That said, I think what we have in common is our interdependence, our vulnerability, and a deep curiosity about the world around us. These things might manifest themselves differently in each individual but I think they're universally present and it only takes a little relationship building and a bit of digging to start to see them emerge. When my classroom is functioning at its best, these are also the factors that drive everything we do. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Definitely. The points of commonality are what allow us to see ourselves in one another, and from there to a greater understanding of how valuable our differences are. Colin is the coordinator of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle where he is also the Building Leadership Team chair. Learn more about Colin's work and how the IB program has transformed Rainier Beach here. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 20+ White Male 4th Grade Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I am fortunate to live in the community in which I teach--literally four blocks away. I can see eight houses of current or former students from my yard. At the grocery store wide-eyed first graders look at me and say hesitantly, "Are you Mr. Terry?" Or the braver ones, "'Hi, Mr. Terry." I have a Little Free Library in front of my house with a collection of books that kids and parents contribute to and take from. I am part of my community. My community is part of me. I share their predominantly white middle class culture. I know the places they buy candy and soda. I know the trails they use to walk to school. When a student says, "gross" to the pigs feet in a Chinese Stew, I get that. Of course, I remind them that that is our predominant white culture speaking, but I do get it as well. When a student tells me his baseball game is on Field 2, I get that. I'll walk my dog by and catch an inning or two after I am home from work. When I see a parent in the neighborhood, I ask about the child's coding camp, girl scout campout, or how the summer trip to Denmark went. Plus, I share about my family vacations, kayaking adventures, and bike rides. Furthermore, I share their curiosity about the world. Why do we line up quietly in the hallways? Check out that bug! What are the rules of four-square? How high are we allowed to climb on the play structure? Why? How can we get that ball out of that tree? Look at this nest I found in my backyard. I don't understand how to solve that problem, can you guys help we work it out? These are REAL questions and statements that I have said to my students in the past year, maybe even in one single day. I am filled with questions that often don't have clear answers. I want to know how and why things are the way they are--so do my students. Plus, I am impatient--definitely a trait of most 9 and 10 year-olds. I want to try the new curriculum tomorrow, not wait until I am fully trained. That first sunny day after all the rain, I can't wait to get outside and play. If the book I am reading is not grabbing me, I mostly just stop reading. I recently broke my collar bone playing soccer. Playing soccer is now over for me, but mostly because I can't get myself to play carefully--just like my students. P.E. and recess were definitely my favorite subjects when I was a kid. I pretty much hated school. I didn't learn to read until I was in the 3rd grade and never learned how to print in elementary school--I had to teach myself when I became a teacher. In the summer, I never wore shoes, hardly ever went inside, and was always on a bike, but I was also fairly scheduled with activities and vacations--like many of the middle class white kids I know. Lastly, it is important to me that students understand all of this is our privileged white culture. When my students complain about school, as I often did, I remind them that complaining about schools is a privilege. I get that school is not always fun and enjoyable--for some, hardly ever. But, when you are nutritiously fed, enriched at home, and have a warm comfortable bed in your own home right next to your personal iPad, school can pale in comparison. Mine always did as well. But this is not true for a majority of kids around the world. We need to recognize and appreciate the privilege of living in a predominantly white American community. I never recognized that as a kid. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Relationships are what matter. I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I do not remember the name of a single one of my elementary or middle school teachers. I have only a few vague memories of a 5th grade teacher who used to play basketball with us at recess, and I remember some of the playgrounds I went to. I never knew who my teachers were. They had a job to teach me content that I struggled to learn, and I had a job to sit there and be quiet. I used to wear holes in the tops of my shoes because I wiggled so much. I didn't have a relationship with a teacher until a high school Chemistry teacher invited a group of us over to his house and shared pictures from his native country of New Zealand. Then I knew him. Then I wanted to learn Chemistry. I don't think it matters that teachers and students have things in common. I think it matters that they work to understand who each other are as people. This entails understanding neighborhoods, cultures, and personalities. Of course, it makes our job easier if we share some of these things, like I do with my students, but it is not essential. Great teachers should be able to find common ground with any student who shows up in his or her classroom. Teachers need to build relationship and understand the people in front of them, and share about themselves--as people. My students don't need to know how to ride a bike to hear about the places I rode over the weekend, but they do need to know that it is okay to share things you are passionate about in my classroom. When the rain is coming down really hard and you can hear it on the roof of the school, I am the one who makes everyone be quiet and listen--I have even taking kids out to play in it. They know I love when nature acts unexpectedly. They know a lot more than that about me. So, I need to know them. I don't need to love pie like John does, but I need to be able to understand his love of pie is an important part of who he and his family are. I certainly can't sew like Lynne can, but I know sewing is something important to her, so I am interested in her projects. I haven't read all the books that Belle has, but I love hearing her summaries and connections to her books. We can't have something in common with every student. What is important is that each person in the room--teachers and students--are comfortable being themselves. Lyon Terry is Washington State's 2015 Teacher of the Year and is a founding member of the Washington Teacher Advisory Council. Connect with Lyon on Twitter @lyonterry. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 35+ White LGBTQ Male Kindergarten Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I am an out gay man who has stood in front of students every day for decades. To some that has meant nothing, others resented it, for others it confirmed that for them or their friends and relatives – you can be a successful adult and still be your best self. I’ve had high school students trust me and tell me they were gay or lesbian. Colleagues have also come out to me, although my fellow teachers often expressed that they were fearful of the community's response although they trusted me with their identity behind closed doors. Even a student's parent chose to talk to me when he realized he was gay. He said I was a role model on what could be – living a quiet but proud life, taking the punches and blows, but showing up every day ready to be there – for kids, for families, for myself. I was moved that he saw me in that light. We’re still friends 25+ years later. For some secondary students of various minority identities (based on their race, ethnicity, religion, etc.) they equated their challenges as similar to my experience as a gay man who is also not in the majority. They have often said things to me like, "Well, you know what it’s like…" Being a gay male teacher teaching primary students since 1978, I do understand difference. I also understand being attacked--personally, professionally, physically. I understand prejudice, presumptions, misinformation, and hiding in plain sight. I’ve been assaulted, chased for blocks by a gang of young men, a knife has been held to my throat, a gun has been pointed at my head, my car has been set on fire, I've been spat upon, and more, just for being me. I remember the first male cheerleader at a high school where I taught. He was straight, and he took a lot of abuse for being on the cheer team. There was also female athlete who excelled at her sports but then was harassed for being so ‘sporty.’ They both found me at some point and chose to trust me to vent, dump, or ask for help. I was grateful to be able to be there for them. Our first conversation in my classroom every year is about becoming friends and our last conversation is about staying friends and these moments of trust are a big part of that. I want to think that ultimately both students and I want to be at school. Even those students who ‘buck’ school I believe sense a need to be at school--it may not be the academic learning, instead it may be the social community. But at least they are on site. I can work from that. I want to be in my classroom every day. Even after 35 years I still think and feel that way. I strive to create an environment that reflects my dedication to my students and they know it. When students cross that classroom threshold I want them to think and feel that they are wanted, their presence matters, and that the room is different and complete when we are all together. Literally, on full attendance days I exclaim, “I LOVE days when EVERYone is here!” I’ve had students, some in my high school teaching and some in elementary, who did not want to be present. They posture through their various mechanisms – ignoring peers, routines, and me. Students have thrown objects at me, ripped my glasses off my face (elementary student), thrown me against a wall (high school student), in moments of utter frustration. It took longer for those students to see I was on their side. But, almost every one of my students eventually sees that I really don’t leave, I do what I say, I care about them, and I want to see them in class every day. At some moment, there is always a turning point. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, it does. However, I believe it’s ultimately about relationships. I think this has proved to be true in my work as a teacher with my graduate students through my kinderkids. What did we experience in class? Did they remember what they learned academically? Nah, they remember how they felt. Thanks to social media I have the good fortune of being in contact with dozens of former students who initiated contact. I’m working my way through trying to see them now in person as adults--take them to dinner, go for a drink, meet their families. One of my favorite memories of realizing how important relationships are between students and teachers was on Halloween of 2014, when I was married. After 22 years of being with my partner, we were stunned when the legality of same-sex marriage actually occurred. After living as ‘out-laws’ for over two decades, we had mixed emotions. We choose to marry on Halloween – we thought, what a scream! Halloween is a big day at my school, old tradition. As I prepared my kinderkids for it, I had to tell them I would not be present that year. I was so distressed about telling them why. Despite an improving world and social advancements, I was still sweating saying out loud that I was gay to students. So, one of my lifetime great days, my impending LEGAL marriage, was clouded with my own baggage. To prepare to come out to my class, I talked with friends, told my administration, and warned my students' parents (who were all thrilled at my news). All of them looked at me so matter-of-factly. They loved me but hardly any knew of the attacks of the past and they didn't understand why I was struggling so much. On the day before Halloween, I told my students that I would not be at school for the festivities. Ohhh, that was not okay with them. “Well, why not?” Through sweat and a shaky voice I said, “Tomorrow, on Halloween, I am going to be married.” “MARRIED!?!! You? Why didn’t you tell us before today? That’s great. Lucky you… etc.” “What’s her name?” There it was. The question that I expected and made me re-visit all the past ugly moments, but I so wanted to embrace my joy in their company, too… “His name is Norbert.” Silence – uh oh. Some kids whispered to each other. “Did he just say ‘his name’ “? “You’re marrying a man!?” “Yes.” “Oh.” “Well, what are you wearing? Will it be a costume? How many costumes? What will you eat? Will people dress nice or in costumes? Will you dance?” And off they went talking about what mattered most – the party! I took a breath, grinned from ear to ear and became tearful. I realized I was in a most trusted company of friends who simply wanted to share in the joy. And that is what I needed most to know. I shed several layers of armour that morning and love them all the more for the gift of their care. Kevin is the University of Washington's 2009 Mentor Teacher of the Year. Read more about Kevin's journey here. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 4-6 White Heterosexual Male High School AP English Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: Throughout most of my education I was never known as a high-performing student. In fact, I was satisfied passing with Cs. The rare B’s I did receive I thought must have been through luck and polite behavior. I felt like I was just expected to pass and I was never motivated to achieve more than what was expected of me. I see now that I feared finding out that even with my best efforts, I may not be good enough. It was safer for me to not try hard in school. Similar to many students who enter my classroom, I never had a mentor who inspired me, or a teacher who invested their time into me outside the classroom. No one expected me to become better than who I already was. But in high school, that’s what I wanted. I longed for a relationship with my teachers. I was desperate for an adult to invest their time into me and to show me that I mattered. Simply put, I wanted to be known. I wanted to know that my teachers cared not just about my grades, but about me: who I was, my aspirations, and my passions. Now as a teacher I see that so many of my students want that same thing. I empathize with my students who have been expected to achieve very little. The ones who have been given up on. I see that society has stereotyped and labeled them and I try to see past those stereotypes and labels myself. If you were to come into my classroom, you would see a white, middle-class, heterosexual male teacher in front of a room of teenagers who are mostly Hispanic and Asian. A smaller population of my students are Pacific Islander, African American, and Caucasian. 70% of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Many of my students are 1st or 2nd generation immigrants who speak a variety of different languages. About 80% of our students at TEC High School are male. I may not look like a majority of the students in my classroom, nor have a similar socio-economic status, but what I do share with my students is the desire for relationships, to be affirmed and pushed to a higher expectation, and ultimately, to be known. During the year, as we share our stories with each other I have found that I have a lot more in common with my students than I originally thought. That is why we take the time to share our stories with each other and most importantly, to listen to one another. My hope is that we may see what we do have in common and in the end see the humanity in each other. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I start each year telling my students about how I was not involved in high school and had no idea what I wanted to pursue in college. I tell them I went to college hoping to learn construction. I tell them about my insecurities including my fear of speaking in public. And then I tell them how I overcame those challenges to become a teacher. I don’t spend the first week of school having us tell our stories so that I can only get to know them, but more so that they can also get to know me. I hope that they can find some similarities between us and see that we’re not so different after all. Ultimately, I hope that they also learn to be okay with being vulnerable and learn to tell their story. Shortly after sharing with my students this year, I had a student come up to me at the end of the day and tell me that even though we look completely different, he saw himself in my story. We talked about our battles with anxiety and our fear of speaking in front of others, and how hard it is sometimes to motivate ourselves when there’s little support or purpose. By the time we ended our conversation, this student resolved to join ASB and get involved in assemblies so that he could overcome what has been holding him back for so long. It’s the connections like this, or finding out that I still relate to the humor of seventeen-year-old boys, or taking the time to share the music and shows we like, or even sharing the love for soccer and kicking the ball around after school that brings me to a resounding, YES! It does matter that students and teachers have things in common! It can be a groundbreaking moment when you realize how much in common you actually have with your students. When that moment finally breaks down barriers, there’s an increasing desire to learn and an increasing desire to teach and become a part of each other's story. Cameron is the Head of the English Department at TEC High School in Seattle. He is also a former a flag football/soccer/basketball coach. Connect with him on Twitter @CamMTown. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Years in Education: 11-15 Caucasian Heterosexual Male High School English and Theory of Knowledge Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: When it comes to the external or the obvious identity markers, not a tremendous amount because I teach in a diverse school that is 60% students of color from a variety of cultures, which means that most students do not match my identity--white, US born, heterosexual, middle-class, cis-gender male. However, we share a common curiosity and wonder about the world we live in, and I have learned way more from them than I could ever teach. The strongest bond is that we are learners, and furthermore, we are both teachers. I have worked at my current school for twelve years. When I started about 70% of students were white and 30% non-white. The staff in the building was 95% white. Today, we are a rich tapestry of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and many more identities that makes going to work a delight. It has made me a better teacher to learn from such a rich multitude of lived experience. Although the student body has changed rapidly, the staff in the building is still 95% white. I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, TX and went to a very homogenous school where over 95% of the teachers shared many of my identity markers. I saw many examples of teachers that look like me. My students do not see that, and I believe it is the responsibility of me and my colleagues to provide a curriculum that brings in many voices not just the ones we are familiar with. Additionally, we have a community of successful alumni in the area that have amazing stories that need to be shared. As a TED-Ed Innovative Educator, I have partnered up with a former student to create a venue to support that, and we are calling it The Barbershop of Ideas. Akeem is a talented artist who opened his own barbershop two years ago, and it is the place to be in our community. The purpose of the venue will be showcase examples of success from our community by bringing together alumni, community members, and current students. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes: There needs to be trust for learning to occur and, and trust develops through an authentic relationship. It is difficult for students and adults to start building that relationship when they do not have as much in common. A great teacher does everything he or she can do to find the way to make the connection to have something in common. No: As long as both have empathy for the other person's lived experience because that can be the most powerful thing we have in common. I see that as my main responsibility as a teacher- developing and cultivating empathy by modeling what that looks like and living it through my actions. And when I fail, which I inevitably do, I admit that I made a mistake and use that as a way to continue to build that relationship. Tim is a TED-Ed Innovative Educator. For his Innovation Project he is creating a Barbershop of Ideas where students are having authentic conversations about their ideas and values in a safe space. Follow Tim on Twitter @timleistikow. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong |
ROLL CALLHumanizing the gaps separating teachers and students. Archives
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