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EOIN O'SHANNON, Pharr, Texas, USA

4/28/2018

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First Year Teacher 
White 
Queer 
Transgender 
8th Grade Reading Teacher 


Q: What do you have in common with your students? 


A: 
Being openly gay and transgender in the classroom was simultaneously the easiest and most difficult decision I’ve ever made.

​I never had any teachers who were openly LGBTQ, so when I came out as transgender, I made a promise to myself that when I became a teacher, I wouldn’t allow myself to be closeted and risk letting a single student go through my class feeling like there was something wrong with them or like they had to hide who they were. 

At the start of this school year, a student introduced himself on “Meet the Teacher” night and explained that he was transgender and went by a different name than was on the roster. It was an instant flashback to having to talk to my professors on the first day of class, fingers crossed that they didn’t react negatively. So I told him what I would have wanted to hear—to let me know if his pronouns or name ever changed and that I’d support him however I could. 

On Monday, he introduced his group of friends to me. By the end of the second week, over a dozen of my 8th graders had come out to me. By the end of the month, they had started bringing their friends from other grades to be introduced. Before the end of the first quarter, I had students that I’d never even met before coming to my room and asking, “You’re the trans teacher? Can we talk?” 


Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: 
Finding common ground with our students is essential to our jobs as teachers. When we see ourselves reflected in someone else, it helps bring us together. 

One of my main goals in stepping into the classroom was to make sure that my LGBTQ students had the openly queer adult role model in their lives that I so desperately needed in my life growing up. Being a middle schooler is difficult but being an LGBTQ middle schooler takes even more strength and courage.

Growing up, I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe what I was feeling; I didn’t add the words “gay” and “transgender” to my vocabulary until I went to college—I just knew that the way I felt wasn’t what everyone else was experiencing. I didn’t think any of my teachers would understand, so I never reached out to them about the anxiety and confusion I was feeling over my identity.


So despite the difficulties that being out in the classroom can pose, I live my truth so that my students feel empowered to do the same. I’ve lived their fear of being discovered, their hopes for acceptance, their pains of rejection, their dreams for a safe space—they see me, and know that I see them, that they aren’t alone, and I think that makes all the difference.

One point of common ground has turned my classroom into a safe space for so many students that otherwise might not have felt secure enough to open up to me, so just imagine the endless possibilities if we work to find even more in common with our students.

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Eoin (pronounced "Owen", he/him) teaches in in southern-most tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley on the US/Mexico border. Connect with him on Twitter @eoinstein. 

Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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Dear Mr. O'Shannon, Words can't describe what an impact you have made. You are so accepting of everyone, no matter the backstory or identity. Thank you, for sharing your story and telling us about how you came over your hardships. You're such an inspiration, especially to the LGBTQ+ kids. The day I met you is one that I will always remember, because you made the fact that I changed my name and pronouns feel so natural. You have such a love and passion when you teach. I hope you keep teaching for generations to come. Thank you, sir, for everything.
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WILL GOURLEY, Markham, Ontario, Canada

4/28/2018

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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

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LITZA JOHNSON, Seattle, Washington, USA

12/14/2017

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Years in Education: 4-6
White 
Cisgender Woman 
Queer
Middle School Social Studies & Social Justice Teacher

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Q: What do you have in common with your students? 


A: There are layers to what my students and I have in common. Many of my kids are white. About half are girls. Most are cisgender. A handful are queer. And those, the first spokes on the intersectionality wheel, matter.

The world hits us in similar ways, and we can immediately and visibly relate to each other’s experiences. But I’m not sure those are even the most important ways in which we are similar.

I, apparently, have the sense of humor of an average middle schooler. Recently, a kid asserted that vegans had to be “tall… to get to the leaves at the top of the trees,” and I still haven’t really stopped laughing.

We share a genuine and sincere appreciation of the importance of birthdays.

We agree that sometimes it’s better to run outside in the snow and try to catch it than it is to just watch it fall.

Honestly, I think what we share the most is a genuine interest in each other. They want to know the people they spend hours with every week, and I want to know and understand them. Together, we want to understand the world, the people in it, and the choices we all make.

We don’t always agree, but we are certainly bound together by our mutual curiosity. In my social justice class (an elective that I started last year), this is especially true—and in that case, we’re also bound by a true passion for the subject.

I just did a survey yesterday, asking my social justice students about their willingness to participate in a high-risk, quite vulnerable activity. I explained the activity in detail, and I gave them an anonymous survey. If even one person did not want for the activity to occur, we wouldn’t do it. If anyone wanted changes made to the activity (for example, changing or removing some of the questions asked), I’d make those changes. They have all opted to participate in the activity, and we’ll take that courageous leap on Monday. It may be hard, but I know that we’re all taking care of each other.

With the kids with whom I have the deepest connection, what we share is a willingness to be vulnerable. We’re learning together, exploring the world and its intricacies as we go. Ms Frizzle (the greatest role model of my life) advises her students to “take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” and I think following this life approach together is an important point of connection.



Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: I’ve struggled with this question, because I feel equally and passionately that there are two truths that seem to directly conflict:

1. Of course it matters. Students should be able to see people like themselves represented throughout their lives, and that’s especially important when those people are in “role model” positions.

2. No, it doesn’t matter; what matters more is a genuinely caring relationship. I don’t have to have your experiences to care about them, and to believe you when you tell me about them.

I think the reality is that Truth 1 helps facilitate a movement toward Truth 2.

If kids can tell immediately that you share something in common with them, or if they learn about it, they’re more willing to trust the teacher. But if a teacher can communicate true regard for their students, in a way that students truly feel, then that can overcome a lot.

A couple of years ago, I had a wonderful, quiet student in my class. She was reliable, kind, bright, and just a genuine pleasure. She isn’t one who would stay after class and talk, but we had a positive relationship. A year later, I had her younger brother as a student. When the sister saw my name on his schedule, she assured him, “Oh, you’ll like her. She’s really LGBTQ-friendly.” The brother is trans, and his best friend—another student of mine that year—is non-binary. Before they even arrived in my classroom, they already knew that I would… see them. I’m cisgender, and very feminine, but they knew that I could be their ally and advocate. The messenger matters, certainly—but I think the message matters even more.
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Litza is the founder of her school's popular Social Justice elective. 


Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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JOSEFINO RIVERA, Sofia, Bulgaria

12/12/2017

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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

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LISA WINER, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

12/10/2017

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Years in Education: 20+
Jewish 
White 
Female 
First in Family to Graduate From College 
High School Honors Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Honors Problem-Solving Seminar Teacher
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Q: What do you have in common with your students? 

A: 
I have a love of puzzles, and most of my students do, too. If we have a few minutes left in class, sometimes I will pose a riddle and the whole class lights up. I have a play table in the back of my classroom with various puzzles and games from childhood, such as Connect Four or the Cracker Barrel Wooden Peg puzzle, and students often come to my classroom early to play.

I love watching the light in their eyes when they work on puzzles either together or individually and solve them - it's such a good feeling of accomplishment when you get something on your own, or even with a little help from someone else.

Growing up, I was surrounded by a lot of love, but there was also a lot of turbulence in my family. My mother was married and divorced by the age of 19, with me, her nine-month old baby, in tow. I grew up living with my extended family--my grandparents, aunts, and an uncle. My father was not really present for me. My mother was more like a sister. We fought constantly, and I always went elsewhere for solace.

For me, math put me in the present moment; I could do math problems or puzzles, and all the issues I had with my parents would go away. I like to give students problems that take their minds off of the baggage they bring into the classroom - we all have it. And for a few minutes each day, students can smile at the delight of solving the riddle or of the trickery involved in it. Even if they don't have the commonality of liking math, I try to make it fun for them so that we all can share those moments of joy when they think, "Aha!" or "I get it!"



Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: 
Yes, because when you instinctively see the problem that you had when you were growing up, you can help.

For me, it was coming in with baggage or being a perfectionist. I work in a private school where most students strive for high grades. Personally knowing that sometimes you don't get the grade you think you deserve, I try to let them know that it will all be okay if they don't get that A on the first test. I even made a huge poster that says, "Everything will be OK," which I sometimes need to draw their attention to.

But I have found that with math, it's not always about ability. I think the most important thing is letting them know that you believe in them. I had several adults in my life that thankfully believed in me, and I know that if a teacher thinks you matter or are important, your confidence soars in that class.

Even if you don't have things in common, for example, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, every person deserves to feel important.

As a Jew, I have been discriminated against, and I never, ever want my students to feel that way. My biggest priority in class, aside from getting the material across, is having a warm, inviting classroom for ALL students, whether we have commonalities or not. It's a privilege to be teaching my students, and I often learn more from them than they do from me. My job is to make them all shine, even if only for the moment that they are in my classroom.



Lisa is a TED-Ed Innovative Educator. She is the creative genius behind many brain-bending TED-Ed lessons such as Can you solve the locker riddle? and Can you solve the virus riddle? Follow her on Twitter 
@Lisaqt314 . 

Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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ZAKI BARAK HAMID, Everett, Washington, USA

10/2/2017

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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. 

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Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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Dr. Abe, Seattle, Washington, USA

10/1/2017

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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.


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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

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COLIN PIERCE, Seattle, Washington, USA

9/27/2017

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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



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DELENE, Berryville, Arkansas, USA

9/25/2017

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Years in Education: 7-10
American Indian 
Multiracial 
Female 
Heterosexual 
6--12th Grade Gifted and Talented Teacher


Q: What do you have in common with your students? 


A: Commonalities between me and my students:
--Diverse ethnicity 
--Cultural customs
--Rural living

I myself am considered to be highly creative with some ADD tendencies and I am secondarly gifted in Math​.

Gifted students are special people. They are highly intelligent, but not always across the board.

Gifted students often times do not learn or function well in the traditional classroom; their learning styles and tendencies tend to lend towards unconventional learning methods and more exploration and project-based experiential learning.

My relationship with my students is different than most teacher/student relationships because I spend a ton of time with the kids on projects, and on local and cross-country trips. These are experiences that the majority of students do not receive.


Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: Yes, without commonality relationships are hard. Without relationships, community is difficult.  And without community, we are isolated. It is my job as an educator to  highlight those likenesses that bring us together, and to bring a sense of compassion for the diversity we encompass. 

I always try to find commonality with my students because that helps build connections and relationships. A community must be connected to build a working relationship. That being said, diversity is a key element to our country and our world as a whole. We are a melting pot of varied backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. 


Delene is a TED-Ed Innovative Educator. She is designing curriculum to guide gifted students in self-discovery. Connect with her on Twitter
@mccoy_delene.  

Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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LYON TERRY, Seattle, Washington, USA

8/22/2017

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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

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    ROLL CALL 

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