What's happening in 6th grade?
Thank you. Thank you to a good friend of mine who helped me to see a strange situation as an opportunity to grow and understand the world around me in a deeper way. You know who you are. You prompted this reflection.
Earlier this week, while finishing a voice message on Voxer at around 6:30am outside my school building. (Yes - I'm an early riser these days.) To my surprise I looked up to see a woman about five feet away from my car window. She was wearing a dirty winter coat and was not particularly well put-together. She had a big strange smile on her face. I knew what she was doing and I immediately waved my hands, saying, "Nooo!!!" She left and I quickly gathered my materials and went into the building relatively traumatized by this surprising encounter. In retrospect, I probably could have played it more cool, but this was a learning experience, I suppose. I shared this story with my beloved #4OCFPLN voxer group and my mom later in the day getting a few laughs and giggles. After talking to a dear friend of mine today, she put this entire experience through a new lens for me. I teach in the inner city of Philadelphia - "far" from where I grew up in Amish Country, or Lancaster, PA. I've seen many things I had never expereinced before moving to the urban jungle. I now realize that my experience that morning this week was part of my students' everyday reality growing up this neighborhood. Unfortunately, there are women selling themselves as prostitutes near and around my school at all hours of the day, My students, from their earliest years have known this reality as normal. Those women have life experiences. They are daughters. Sisters. They have been mothers themselves, sending their children to our school. I'm still not quite sure how I see this situation now, but I certainly see it differently - not as an opportunity to share a goofy embarrassing moment for myself, but an opportunity to try to understand the human condition in a new way. This is an opportunity to know and understand my students' lives in a different way. An empathetic moment. Thanks, friend. You help me to see the world through a more compassionate set of eyes.
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About MeLouie here! 5th Grade Teacher. Level 2 Google Educator. Love all things Google. 1:1 Chromebooks. Archives
June 2020
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