Years in education: 16-20 Australian/Canadian Caucasian Heterosexual Female Elementary School Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I was born and raised in Australia. As a child, my family moved quite a few times and I ended up going to eight different schools between Kindergarten and Year 12. As a painfully shy child, this was challenging but gave me a great many gifts too. As an adult I continued to travel a lot and have lived and taught on three different continents. I married a wonderful Canadian man and have since settled in Canada. Even though I come from an English speaking country, I sometimes feel like an outsider. After ten years, not a week goes by where I don’t think, Do they completely understand me? Or, Wait, is that an Australian or English expression, is it global or Canadian.. I can only imagine how much more intense those questions and feelings would be, if my first language was completely different. When I meet another Aussie, I often feel like I just ‘get’ them and they often ‘get’ me. There are fewer misunderstandings and moments where I feel I have to further explain myself. They often have a sense of where I come from and what a special place in my heart my homeland has for me. I feel like I can’t really talk too much about Australia to other because it's not a shared experience, it’s in the past and it's almost too painful at times. I don’t want to be sad I want to try and live in the moment and make the most of where I am, but Australia has a chunk of my heart! I have just finished teaching for almost ten years in schools where there is a high migrant population. I feel deeply for these families and can relate, at some level, to being different and the struggle to get settled in a country. It is so difficult to establish yourself, set down roots, find your people and communicate well. I think having this shared experience does connect us at a deeper level and gives me a greater sense of empathy, understanding and connection with my students. I feel I must clarify that even though I miss my home and feel different at times, I don’t regret traveling at all! I actually think it has greatly enriched my life and my perspective. I find the world such an amazing and inspiring place. And the more that I experience the more that I realize we really aren’t that different from each other. We really are all just human beings, learning together. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think it is important that students and teachers have things in common. It helps to build relationships when you find common interests. And, when you really get to know your students, there is always common ground. My most common connectors are sports, books and shared experiences like being a migrant. Canada is a ‘mosiac’ of cultures and has a very diverse population. Fortunately, I've connected with a variety of different people in my community who have supported who I am and understood where I was coming from. They acknowledged and valued me and my experiences. All schools that I’ve worked at in Canada have actively worked to include all in their community and celebrate the diversity of cultures and experiences. I hope I’ve provided some support to my students in this way too. Even simple things, like when I see a student experience snow for the first time, I get it and I remember the awe I felt in my first snow moment! My TED-Ed Innovation project ‘Sprout’ has really has built on my experiences of living and working around the globe. Sprout is an online space where students pitch any and all of their possible TED-Ed talk ideas and give each other feedback. My goal is to connect students around the world and have them communicate and build stronger ideas, in collaboration with each other. There’s a lot we can learn from each other and I hope I can facilitate this happening, a little more often. When we celebrate differences and encourage connections and dialogue, I think it has the potential to make our world a more accepting and peaceful place. Megan is a 2017 TED-Ed Innovative Educator and is the Founder of Sprout. To learn more about how Sprout is growing ideas and connecting students around the world, follow Megan on Twitter @lowesclass and visit sproutideas.net.
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Years in education: 20+ Cuban-American Heterosexual Male First in family to graduate from college Middle School Science & Technology Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: When I started teaching in South Central Los Angeles back in 1991, I was a young Hispanic heterosexual male in a female dominated profession. Frankly, that never was an issue to me because I was raised by my mother. My father wasn't present so I was used to being around women. Teaching in L.A. was within my comfort zone because my school was 85% Hispanic and almost 15% African American. The staff I worked with in L.A. was quite diverse too. We had a Cuban-American teacher (me), a couple of Mexican-American teachers, a Panamanian-American teacher, several African American teachers, and a few Caucasian teachers! And three teachers on staff were homosexual. A great team to work with. I started teaching mixed classes of beginning English speakers to English-Only speakers. Because I could speak Spanish I moved to teaching full classes of beginning English speakers so my classes were made up of 100% Hispanic kids. I had Mexican, Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, and Guatemalen students! Back then California had a full bilingual program so that kids could learn in their native language while increasing their English learning as they progressed instead of hearing English all the time and learning what they could. When my wife and I moved to Washington, I left my Hispanic kids and moved to a rural town teaching kids that were predominantly Caucasian. It was a culture shock! While I do miss teaching Hispanic kids, I do enjoy working with the kids in my community. I live right across the street from my rural school now so I’m not just their teacher, I’m neighbor to many of my students. And I’ve been here for 20 years! I never speak Spanish anymore though. I barely remember my native tongue. I’m so Americanized that I don’t even remember what it was like being Cuban. Part of me has always thought that I am so American because I grew up in Miami. But I really didn’t. In Miami, I grew up Cuban in America. My elementary school and junior high school were both predominantly Hispanic (mostly Cuban) and African American. Now, I am all American. I’ll have to remedy that someday. I just don’t know how. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think teachers and students having things in common matters. My own daughter admitted that her favorite teacher in 7th grade was the youngest teacher on the staff. It was my daughter who told me that she really liked that teacher because she was, "relevant." That's where I got that from because until my daughter said that to me, I didn't know the generation gap was a thing. Until my daughter mentioned relevancy, I didn't realize how much kids appreciate having teachers that they can relate to. I try to relate to my students by learning about the things they like. I have always enjoyed talking to my students about things they like. It makes school more of a family setting and less of a job. Plus, it keeps me current. I am 49 years old, almost 50. When I started teaching in grades 4 and 5 I was 24 years old. At that time I felt that I was still relevant to my students because I was young enough to understand their pop culture such as music and TV shows. Fast forward to 2017 and I'm seeing the generation gap between me and my students more and more. I refer to things such as 9/11 and have to back up and explain because of all the blank stares I get. Luckily, I'm young enough at heart to listen to some music that middle school students listen to, I watch TV shows and movies that middle school students watch, and I try to keep up with sports so when they talk about it I can converse. I am a geek at heart, a big fan of Star Trek and Star Wars, so I have quite a bit in common with my fellow geeky students. I'm also a user of social media and technology so I can connect with students who also use those. So while the generation gap is WIDE and very REAL I find ways to stay current while not being creepy, like saying, "tots cray cray." Yes, I've tried saying it and let's just say it didn't work! So now I work extra hard to connect with my students. My daughter and my students are my connection to the current generation. Reading about Gen Z is just not enough, you have to connect with Gen Z kids. Al is a 2017 Washington State Teacher Leader. Follow him on Twitter @educatoral. Years in Education: 7-10 African-American + Native-American Heterosexual Female Chemistry and Forensic Science Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: My students are from different backgrounds, and we have gone through some of the same things when it comes to racism in an America. I have taught predominately at low-income schools with immigrant students. My students judge me the first day meeting me. They called me an Oreo, white girl, rich girl, etc. Once the students hear the stories of what I have gone through, then they realize that we are not different at all. I tell the students that I grew up in a rural town that was predominately Caucasian. In elementary school, students would not be my friend because I was black and they thought they would become dirty like me. I had teachers call me the n-word. Police followed me because they didn't believe my family lived in a particular place in town. Police stopped me because they didn't think I could afford the car I have. They've followed me in stores. Once the students hear my story, they talk to my about their stories. They understand that we have more in common and relate to each other. Though I didn't grow up in a low-income area, we have experienced the same things in life. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, it does so we can relate to each other in the classroom. My students and I have been able to relate to each other on many things. Not just on racism but on life. Students that relate to teachers will open up to teachers and work harder in the classroom than students that don't. Most students that don't have things in common with their teacher will not work for them. I have noticed that when I tell my stories to my students and let them know about my life, they tell me about theirs. Some of my students have gone to my university and pursued chemistry just like I did. You end up helping the students in the long run and start to see them succeeding in life. Aletha is a 2017 TED-Ed Innovative Educator. She is currently working with English Language Learners to create resources for teachers inspired by project-based learning. Follow her on Twitter @alwillia. Years in Education: 4-6 Caucasian Heterosexual Female Senior High School English Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: My parents divorced when I was 12 and my sister and I were pretty much raised by our Mum. She did a smashing job and while I can honestly say that it never felt like we missed out on anything, I know it wasn't easy for her. We didn't see our dad a lot and he didn't contribute much either financially or emotionally after the divorce. In Australia, nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce, which means many of my students have been through, are going through, or will go through a similar experience. When I was 17, mum began seeing a new man who she later married. I struggled to share mum with him, so it’s fair to say that we didn’t hit it off right away. In fact, I was pretty awful to him for quite a while. But he was (and remains) a kind and patient man. He is indigenous and taught me a lot about prejudice. One summer, during a family beach holiday, I saw first-hand the ugliness of the kind of racism he experiences on a daily basis. We were at the local pub and he was targeted by a couple of young surfers who called him horrible names, which he later told me were derogatory terms used to refer to mixed-race indigenous people. What stood out to me most during the exchange was the strength and dignity he maintained. He stayed calm. He stood tall. He did not yell. He did not fight. I was in awe. In that moment, my eyes were opened. I started to pay more attention to what was going on around me. I began to realise how frequent and insidious these kinds of moments were. I talked to my stepdad about them often and he guided me and helped me to understand the complexities involved. I subsequently spent a lot of time at university learning about Australia’s history of institutionalised and generational racism. I learned about white privilege and started to pay attention to instance of it in my day to day life. Now, as an English teacher, my students and I explore texts that examine themes linked to marginalisation and the “other”. I also refuse to accept even a hint of prejudice in the classroom. Students learn pretty quickly with me that there is no such thing as an innocuous joke. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I don't think it's necessary for students and teachers to have things in commom. I think it's more important that differences are understood and respected. For me, it's critically important to have a bond and a genuine relationship with all the students I teach. If I relied on commonality to develop those, I feel I (and the students) would be worse off. This is particularly relevant in light of my TED Ed Innovation project this year. The project is based around using various media forms to document the story of our school when it opens in February 2017. It relies on the students involved bringing their unique knowledge, experiences and ideas to the table. The diversity they bring will be reflected in the stories we tell, which is key to capturing and maintaining interest. Christie is a 2017 TED-Ed Innovative Educator. She is leading students in creating a multimedia living documentary of the opening of a new school in Australia. Find out more about Christie's work here and follow her on Twitter @CASimpson. Years in Education: 7-10 Black Gay Male High School Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I am a person of color who is still discovering what it means to be woke everyday. I used to see the world colorblindly, if I'm honest. More and more often, I'm scared when I see a police officer for no reason. I'm scared for my students. I try to model what it means to be an educated young Black man. I don't always feel successful and that story resonates with students. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Students MUST have things in common with their teachers -- particularly our most vulnerable students. They need to see themselves in the people who see with them more than their parents. We must share our stories as a community, holding them with truth and grace. That is how we are going to get through life together. Evin is a 2017 Washington State Teacher Leader. Follow him on Twitter @baritoneblogger. Years in education: 4-6 Asian + Caucasian Heterosexual Female Middle School Math Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I am exactly like my students. My students are growing up in an affluent suburb of a larger city. I went to school in the North shore suburbs of Chicago. I would have classified my upbringing as upper middle class much like the students that I teach. I am mixed race, much like many of my students, or at least they are one or the other race. I had the same experiences they had, I hear their stories and I have those same stories. I am just like my students in almost every way. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I have taught in 3 schools before this school, and I am finally at a school where I find the students the most similar. The first and second schools I taught in, there were major religious sects present, I am not religious. The third school I taught in was a large transient immigrant population and high population of free/reduce lunch students, this is not the kind of school I went to. I find that at the current school I am at, I can relate to my students, and I share their same stories. They say that you teach how you were taught, perhaps I do in some ways, I am always trying to challenge and enrich their thinking versus trying to motivate them to want to learn. They already want to learn, much like I had wanted to. I will never be a good teacher to the students who need motivating; I am not a cheerleader. I will never be a good teacher to those who have had a different upbringing than me; I cannot relate. I believe that for me to be the best teacher I can possibly be, I need to be able to relate to my students; have things in common with them. I love the school that I teach at, probably because this is the kind of school I went to. Follow Regen on Twitter @regenlorden. Years in education: 2-3 Mexican Male LGBTQ First in family to graduate from college High School AVID Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: I currently teach in the community where I was born and raised. My students and I both share the knowledge and experiences of our culture and the influences of our social and geographical area. We, my students and I, were raised with Mexican American traditions and share our community as part of our upbringing narrative. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I am a firm believer that "students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" (John C. Maxwell). Having commonalities with students allow teachers to make connections with them, and in return, gives students the sense of comfort and belonging. Marcos is a 2017 TED-Ed Innovative Educator is the Founder of the South Texas Ideas Festival. To learn more about how this event is invigorating the Rio Grande Valley and the youth who will someday lead there, visit stxideas.com. Years in education: 11-15 Caucasian Heterosexual Female Language Arts, History, Drama Teacher Q: What do you have in common with your students? A: My students are diverse, however poverty and broken families are the norm in our community. When I was the age that my students are now, I experienced abuse, neglect, a broken family and extreme poverty. This helps me understand their motivations and behaviors. Additionally, for a time as an adult, I was a homeless, unemployed, single parent on assistance. Generational poverty is something my students and I have in common. My path to becoming an academic was unusual and later in life. I know what it is like to be an unmotivated student without future plan. I know that it is never too late to change your path. On a lighter note, I am a big fan of science fiction, fantasy and superheroes, just like many of my students. Also, I promote the arts in our district and community - theatre, visual arts and music. This is a great way to find common ground with students of diverse backgrounds. Finally, I am a horse person, and ours is a rural community. Lots of kids, of all economic backgrounds have large animals to tend. We have pastures, barns, mud and manure in common! Culturally speaking, through marriage I have ties to a family of Mexican heritage. In our small community, it is easy for my Hispanic students to know my husband's father is Mexican, which often makes me an immediate ally. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: It matters- so, so much. Relationships are at the heart of all learning. When students trust and respect you, when they know that you trust and respect them, they are far more likely to buy into the lessons you teach. When you know them, really know them, you can integrate their culture and their interests into the content, personalizing their experience. For me, understanding the lasting effects of poverty and upheaval in a young person's life helps me accept students with all of their rough edges. I can recognize when a big attitude is worn like armor to protect a vulnerable soul from more hurt. I know to give students the time, space and respect they need to keep their pride as they gain the skills to organize the chaos of their lives. They get as much or as little support from me as they want. They know I am tough and expect their best, but they also know that they can rely on me to support and comfort them as needed. Most importantly, they trust that I won't give up on them, no matter what. Lynne is a 2017 Washington State Teacher leader and was a 2012 Regional Teacher of the Year. Follow her on Twitter @LynneOlmos. |
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