- Introduction
- Day 1: Metaphor and Narrative - Teachers and Students
- Day 2 - Reflection and Deconstructionism, art - No Child Left Behind and the Broken Chair
- Day 3: Reflections and my process - Journalistic questions
- Day 4: Scavenger hunting - Including lesson plan
- Day 5: What I really want to know - Wanda B. Knight
- Day 6: Poetry and Common Core - Moving from Prose to Poetry
- Day 7: Experiential learning - Writing using memory and the senses
- Day 7: Experiential Learning Lesson Plan - Historical Fiction and Oral History
- Day 8: Narrative, a teacher who inspired me - Mentors
- Day 9: My Teaching Philosophy - Education as freedom and power
6.20.2013
Table of Contents
Day 9: My Teaching Philosophy
Education
is freedom, and education is power. Each student has the chance to be
both free and powerful, and teachers must facilitate this.
Every student is capable of learning.
Both the teacher (who is also always a student as well) and the
students must understand this about themselves and the people around
them. When we all understand that everyone can learn, we understand
that we each have responsibility: to ourselves to get the most out of
our educational opportunities, to each other to respect the work and
time that each person puts into the class, and to the class as a
whole to create a safe and challenging atmosphere.
Teachers should be a trustworthy, steady presence in a child's life. As a teacher I aim to be non-judgmental and open-minded and to encourage my students to do the same. Teachers are often the only safe, responsible adult a child may have in their life, and I take that seriously as an educator. My classroom will be comfortable and warm but rigorous and demanding, because I expect the best from my students. With clear expectations set out at the beginning of each year and throughout the year, students can have a learning community where it is safe to question, to play, and to feel. The relationship I have with my students is what my success as an educator hinges on. So I will not take my anger and frustration out on my students. I will not bring my personal life in to work with me. I will treat them all fairly, and I will be there for them when they need me.
Students will come from all different backgrounds, but I intend to work with at-risk youth. This means I need to remember that poverty does not automatically mean a student will receive a poor education, but that it needs to be considered when creating lessons, homework, and expectations for the students. I will not set them up to fail by expecting things of them that are unrealistic or unfair.
On this note, literacy is and has been deeply neglected in both English classes and content areas. If a student does not learn how to read effectively by third grade, they are often going to struggle with reading for their rest of their lives unless they get appropriate intervention. Even if I am not teaching a reading class specifically, I will always emphasize reading development and literacy skills, particularly for the striving readers. Even students who read at the appropriate grade level should receive intermittent intervention and instruction to elevate their skills. Literacy should be a focus from pre-K to high school graduation. Without solid reading skills, every content area can become a struggle.
Another important skill for students to master is critical thinking. Critical thinking can change or even save a student's life. When they learn to think for themselves by considering every angle and engaging in content creatively and intimately, they will be hard pressed to find a question or content area they can't solve or master. Critical pedagogy will color each of my lessons so that students will be able to understand concepts of freedom, authority (and rebellion), soul-deep knowledge, and power. I want to challenge them daily to think about the systems of power and oppression that influence their lives every day. I will know their progress in learning critical thinking by the way they approach their assignments, the way they will challenge me, and other formative assessments. I will have regular quizzes and tests that they can expect so they will not have to worry about being surprised by grades and can focus on the content instead. Quizzes will be used to measure success and understanding, not to punish.
I understand that critical thinking is hard for students to understand and get excited about, and the way they are typically taught can be boring for them. Motivation and engagement will be a key focus of my lesson planning. I will incorporate activities every day that highlight different intelligences to make sure each student has a chance to practice their favorite. I will allow them both group and indpendent work time. I will make sure they understand they have a place in making decisions about the classwork and that they have as much responsibility for their learning as I do. I think that when students are trusted with important tasks and respected to the extent that they have their own individual responsibilities, they will flourish and succeed. Students just need a reason to rise to the occasion.
The main factor for keeping students motivated and engaged is making sure the teaching remains fun but rigorous. Activities that allow them to be creative will break up longer or more complicated lectures. There will be time to get up and walk around, to visit the media center or even go outside. The work will be hard enough to keep them focused but not so hard they lose heart. This is an ideal and will only work if I focus on differentiation and keeping myself flexible and in tune with the students' needs.
I am especially passionate about books and literature. Literature and arts education help students become involved members of their community, and books can enrich lives. I love the classics as much as any teacher with a language arts background, but I think students can benefit from lesser-known books just as much, if not more. I will incorporate young adult novels, poetry, local authors, young authors, and others into the classroom library and during lessons. Students will always have a wide array of books to choose from in my class, from magazines to Shakespeare. There will be no excuses along the lines of “I couldn't find anything that looked interesting.” Young adult novels are misjudged in academia for being too light, but I hold that books that are written for teenagers to relate to can only be beneficial in a classroom setting, especially with striving readers.
Theory is crucial and guides my daily decisions, but being prepared with strategies and an understanding of the curriculum and Common Core Standards is just as important. My ideal classtime would include whole-class discussions, multidisciplinary approaches including art and public speaking, read alouds, book clubs and/or literature circles, and one on one time with the teacher. My ideal classroom is decorated with informational posters that help guide students into critical thinking and the essential question is always posted on the board.
As the year goes on, student work lines the walls proudly. Students will have a chance each week to create a physical product that relates to their learning so that they will have visual reminders. Lectures are short and discussions are long, and authentic, voluntary discussion from the students will never be stopped in favor of a bullet point on the lesson plan. Homework other than reading will be occasional and only assigned when it furthers understanding of a complicated topic or when students are working on individual projects. Reading homework will be daily but in small, manageable assignments. Discussions will remain productive and relevant to common core standards by teaching students to cite the text in their answers or support their arguments effectively.
Teachable moments will be seized whenever possible to open the students' minds to the world around them, including engaging them in difficult conversations regarding race, gender, and sexuality, when possible and appropriate. Students need a safe place to discuss these issues and learn about them from different points of view.
Every student in the class will get special consideration and differentiation when I design the lessons and create assignments, including ESE, ESOL, and gifted students. I will work with students, parents, and other teachers to make sure IEPs and individual needs are met every day.
I want to be the kind of teacher that inspires students to work harder because they feel smart in my class. I want to challenge them to rise about standards and tests, as well as stereotypes and glass ceilings. In my classroom they will learn self-worth along with literature, metaphors and vocabulary.
Teachers should be a trustworthy, steady presence in a child's life. As a teacher I aim to be non-judgmental and open-minded and to encourage my students to do the same. Teachers are often the only safe, responsible adult a child may have in their life, and I take that seriously as an educator. My classroom will be comfortable and warm but rigorous and demanding, because I expect the best from my students. With clear expectations set out at the beginning of each year and throughout the year, students can have a learning community where it is safe to question, to play, and to feel. The relationship I have with my students is what my success as an educator hinges on. So I will not take my anger and frustration out on my students. I will not bring my personal life in to work with me. I will treat them all fairly, and I will be there for them when they need me.
Students will come from all different backgrounds, but I intend to work with at-risk youth. This means I need to remember that poverty does not automatically mean a student will receive a poor education, but that it needs to be considered when creating lessons, homework, and expectations for the students. I will not set them up to fail by expecting things of them that are unrealistic or unfair.
On this note, literacy is and has been deeply neglected in both English classes and content areas. If a student does not learn how to read effectively by third grade, they are often going to struggle with reading for their rest of their lives unless they get appropriate intervention. Even if I am not teaching a reading class specifically, I will always emphasize reading development and literacy skills, particularly for the striving readers. Even students who read at the appropriate grade level should receive intermittent intervention and instruction to elevate their skills. Literacy should be a focus from pre-K to high school graduation. Without solid reading skills, every content area can become a struggle.
Another important skill for students to master is critical thinking. Critical thinking can change or even save a student's life. When they learn to think for themselves by considering every angle and engaging in content creatively and intimately, they will be hard pressed to find a question or content area they can't solve or master. Critical pedagogy will color each of my lessons so that students will be able to understand concepts of freedom, authority (and rebellion), soul-deep knowledge, and power. I want to challenge them daily to think about the systems of power and oppression that influence their lives every day. I will know their progress in learning critical thinking by the way they approach their assignments, the way they will challenge me, and other formative assessments. I will have regular quizzes and tests that they can expect so they will not have to worry about being surprised by grades and can focus on the content instead. Quizzes will be used to measure success and understanding, not to punish.
I understand that critical thinking is hard for students to understand and get excited about, and the way they are typically taught can be boring for them. Motivation and engagement will be a key focus of my lesson planning. I will incorporate activities every day that highlight different intelligences to make sure each student has a chance to practice their favorite. I will allow them both group and indpendent work time. I will make sure they understand they have a place in making decisions about the classwork and that they have as much responsibility for their learning as I do. I think that when students are trusted with important tasks and respected to the extent that they have their own individual responsibilities, they will flourish and succeed. Students just need a reason to rise to the occasion.
The main factor for keeping students motivated and engaged is making sure the teaching remains fun but rigorous. Activities that allow them to be creative will break up longer or more complicated lectures. There will be time to get up and walk around, to visit the media center or even go outside. The work will be hard enough to keep them focused but not so hard they lose heart. This is an ideal and will only work if I focus on differentiation and keeping myself flexible and in tune with the students' needs.
I am especially passionate about books and literature. Literature and arts education help students become involved members of their community, and books can enrich lives. I love the classics as much as any teacher with a language arts background, but I think students can benefit from lesser-known books just as much, if not more. I will incorporate young adult novels, poetry, local authors, young authors, and others into the classroom library and during lessons. Students will always have a wide array of books to choose from in my class, from magazines to Shakespeare. There will be no excuses along the lines of “I couldn't find anything that looked interesting.” Young adult novels are misjudged in academia for being too light, but I hold that books that are written for teenagers to relate to can only be beneficial in a classroom setting, especially with striving readers.
Theory is crucial and guides my daily decisions, but being prepared with strategies and an understanding of the curriculum and Common Core Standards is just as important. My ideal classtime would include whole-class discussions, multidisciplinary approaches including art and public speaking, read alouds, book clubs and/or literature circles, and one on one time with the teacher. My ideal classroom is decorated with informational posters that help guide students into critical thinking and the essential question is always posted on the board.
As the year goes on, student work lines the walls proudly. Students will have a chance each week to create a physical product that relates to their learning so that they will have visual reminders. Lectures are short and discussions are long, and authentic, voluntary discussion from the students will never be stopped in favor of a bullet point on the lesson plan. Homework other than reading will be occasional and only assigned when it furthers understanding of a complicated topic or when students are working on individual projects. Reading homework will be daily but in small, manageable assignments. Discussions will remain productive and relevant to common core standards by teaching students to cite the text in their answers or support their arguments effectively.
Teachable moments will be seized whenever possible to open the students' minds to the world around them, including engaging them in difficult conversations regarding race, gender, and sexuality, when possible and appropriate. Students need a safe place to discuss these issues and learn about them from different points of view.
Every student in the class will get special consideration and differentiation when I design the lessons and create assignments, including ESE, ESOL, and gifted students. I will work with students, parents, and other teachers to make sure IEPs and individual needs are met every day.
I want to be the kind of teacher that inspires students to work harder because they feel smart in my class. I want to challenge them to rise about standards and tests, as well as stereotypes and glass ceilings. In my classroom they will learn self-worth along with literature, metaphors and vocabulary.
Day 8: Narrative, a teacher who inspired me
Mentors
Somehow, you
taught several times a week without ever having your own classroom,
not officially. Even without that classroom, you can't get away from
the label “teacher.” Especially when you are the one person
everyone knows who is unafraid of calling people out, of laying
yourself bare, of inviting criticism in the name of truth. Of doing
all the things they wish they could but are too afraid. Walking into
each classroom is like going into battle.
A sociology
teacher cries to you once a week, not sure what to even do with these
conversations she has in her class. When the kyriarchy is established
again and again but she is but a frail woman herself, she begs to
bring in the big guns. Can't you say no? Sure you can. But you don't.
You come to discuss with us – I don't even know anymore. Maybe it
was AIDs, gay rights, feminism – but probably it was race. A white
man who lives in this privilege but holds his grandchildren at night
who do not get to participate in what he has. Who are twelve years
old and get stopped by the police for simply riding their bike in the
evening: “Is that bike yours? Where did you get it?”
You have a unique
position as a white man- two out of three of the Big Oppressors (just
missing heterosexual)- who understands what he gets from this. Who
understands he can speak on topics such as race, class, and gender
without getting attacked the way a black woman might. People respect
you and it makes you angry, because your very life supports the
systems of oppression and domination you rail against. The kyriarchy
hurts everyone, see? But what you do is leagues better than
remaining silent and complicit. It must be tiring, wearing your
privilege like a wet cloak.
But I don't know
that, not really, and I never will. How am I supposed to write a
narrative about you? Your life is so much bigger than that. I guess
I'll write it about me. Can't look outward? Turn inward.
My heart was
pounding from my seat – always by the left wall, but close to the
front. Hidden but still just enough of a teacher's pet. The things he
said, I just couldn't believe them – the facts I believed, but that
he was saying them, demanding we listen, holding the floor with
quiet ease. I was a new women's studies student, a baby feminist.
Every time I went
to this class (twice a week at night that fall) I left angry. Someone
used some essentialist argument about women staying home or men being
stronger and the teacher failed again and again to correct them,
because everyone is entitled to their opinions, right? So I, at 19
years old, would raise my anxious hand and argue that no, it's not
like that, just because the woman who divorced you made you think so
-
It took too long
to finally encounter a teacher who wasn't focused on facts and
statistics but truth. And not the type of truth that says “everyone
has their own,” but the kind that demands we look harder.
After class I
approached him. “How do I do what you do?” I asked breathlessly.
Looking back, that is the moment I became a teacher as well as a
student. Because sure, Michael said “Well, you can intern for me in
the spring,” but what he should have said is “You will be
exhausted, being like me, you'll never stop learning, you'll always
hurt. But you will keep fighting. This internship isn't going to do
much for you in the long run. I am too busy to really
guide you and be the mentor you want, so you will have to be your
own. You will have to read everything you can get your hands on.
McLaren, Freire, hooks, Lorde, read it all, because they will guide
you. No one can hold your hand, we are all too busy dealing with
people who don't care like you do.”
But I interned
for him in the spring. I sat with him in his office with my chin in
my hand, listening as he ate potato chips and tried to explain in
stilted sentences all of the nonsense he dealt with on a daily basis.
How he ran this office that claimed to care about diversity but just
organizing efficiently was a battle and everything was politics. I
still don't understand a lot of it. But the essence of his
participation in university life as a real educator is something I
couldn't get enough of: his constant questions, his questioning of
authority, how he would work 16+ hours a day, and still answer emails
from students heartbroken over their last breakup.
He insisted that
I really did help him. I researched an idea of his: he wanted to know
how to open an institute for restorative justice. The idea that real
justice focused on not just the victims but the perpetrators as well,
both in crime and in daily injustices, and that each individual crime
had so much more tied to it than just time of shooting, height of
criminal. This idea took root in my brain in the form of an abstract
ideal – that many of the systems that are in place to protect us
and work for us do the opposite, and that the status quo is often
upheld violently.
And so I
continued. I graduated after that internship, a bullet on my resume
saying I worked for a university. A recommendation letter saying how
wonderful I am. I busied myself with moving out of this college town
and on to bigger things – I thought. Then I bounced around, poor
again, straddled with loans, planning a wedding anyway. I forgot. I
forgot a lot of things. I let anxiety consume me, bad habits write my
days.
I decided after a
year of this that I had had enough and would go back to school. This
time, I would be a teacher. I didn't realize until now that it was no
whim. This started the day I, as a budding author and feminist,
walked up to Michael and said “How do I do what you do?”
He wasn't ever going to tell me the answer to that, but I found it anyway: I will
never do what he does. Only he can. I'm going to do what I can which
is this: fight, and love, and teach.
Day 7: Experiential Learning Lesson Plan
Discovering Historical Fiction via
Oral History
Grade: 9-12 English/Language Arts
Time: 2-3 class periods, starting on
a Friday or holiday
Goals
- To introduce the genre of historical fiction
- To teach the importance of oral history to different cultures
- To show how oral history has influenced literature
- To get students writing about their own past and lives
- To craft a narrative about the students' personal histories
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to:
- Define “historical fiction” and “oral history” in their own words
- Interview family members, friends, or others in their community to learn about their histories
- Pre-write a historical fiction narrative about members of their family or community or themselves
- Write a 1-2 page story using the elements of historical fiction we discussed and the information gleaned from their families
Purpose/Rationale
Historical
fiction can be boring, especially for adolescents. But students come
to the classroom with rich, interesting histories. Having them learn
the genre through their own experiences before they start reading
published works of historical fiction will allow the students to
better understand the genre and the personalization of the project
will motivate them.
Learning about
their communities and sharing with each other will strengthen the
bonds in the classroom community. Many of the students will already
know some of these stories through oral history and will receive a
boost of confidence when they realize that they know the genre
already.
This
interdisciplinary lesson will address standards in the writing
process (pre-writing, peer editing, grammar and structure, etc),
critical thinking, and genre studies.
Prior Teacher
Preparation
- The teacher will:
- Review oral history and historical fiction
- Research local history to provide ideas to students who don't have anyone to go to
- Find teachers, librarians, and others who would be willing to be interviewed just in case
- Prepare interview sheets
- Write her own historical fiction narrative to share with the class before they begin
Materials and
Resources
- Pre-written historical fiction narrative
- Examples of historical fiction from books and stories we will use later in the unit
- Interview sheets and story outline handout x 30
- Youtube clips of oral history x 2
- Membership to a genealogy website (if free)
Procedure
- Introduction/Lecture
- Start by telling an engaging short story about people or places in their neighborhood that they will recognize
- Explain why the story is important/what impact it has had on the community
- Introduce the terms “historical fiction” and “oral history” and review with the other genres we have examined
- Give a brief overview of what historical fiction usually includes and what separates it from oral history, legends, and historical fact
- Show a video of a storyteller (Youtube oral history clips)
- Show “Storytellers” from the library of congress- play a clip from my mother/brother's interview
- Do it
- Explain the assignment to students. They will:
- Choose a family member, older friend, or community member to interview.
- In class, use the interview sheet to craft questions that would help them create a story.
- What are you interested in? Love stories? Stories of immigration? The people who built your community? The music scene 40 years ago? Provide them with ideas and take suggestions for brainstorming. Have them modify and add to the interview sheet to reflect these interests.
- Advise them that their interviews may take them in a different direction and they should go with it, as they will learn more that way.
- Have permission to expand on the truth, as it is fiction.
- They will use the information gathered from their interview and prior knowledge to write a narrative of what they thought it was like 'back then.'
- Use the last minutes in class to let them know what resources are available to them should they have a problem finding someone to interview.
- Homework: After class, complete their interviews and investigations and pre-write their stories using the outline handout.
- The next class:
- Students will spend the first period using their interview sheets, outlines, and resources in the classroom to write their first draft.
Prompt: Using what you learned this weekend, write a short narrative about a moment in the past of your community. - They will have access to the internet and genealogy websites.
- The second half of class, they will trade with a peer and complete peer review as taught previously.
- Homework: Finish their stories using suggestions from their peers and input from their community family member/friend if possible.
- Share
- The last unit: Sharing each story with the class.
- Emphasize respect and that now we are participating in oral history.
- Processing: Discussion time
- Ask the students what their stories had in common and what was different
- Discuss common themes in more detail depending on who shares what
- Discuss the short story narrative and how they participated in it
- Link to their common core standards and what they should have learned from the text
- Generalizing
- Connect to the next readings we'll be doing for the historical fiction unit
- Ask if they feel more connected to both the genre and the community?
- Application
- How will this make you think of your communities or families from now on?
- Does historical fiction seem more interesting now?
- What do you think you'll enjoy about historical fiction? What particular time period
- Assessment
- Grading the stories:
- Prewriting: Outline and interview sheet
- Peer editing
- Final draft
- Traits of historical fiction
- Grammar, spelling, and structure
- Followed the narrative prompt
- Self Reflection
- Did the students seem to grasp the key concepts?
- Was it enough time to complete the assignment? Too much time?
- What was surprising?
- Samples of stories
Day 7: Experiential learning (experiential writing)
Object
– Artist/Embodied Experience
Senses: Hearing- his feet on the ground and the chair, the music, the dull thud of him falling to the ground, seeing him twist and turn and consistently struggle with his chair. Feeling the warmth of the theater and seeing it reflected in the sweat and the struggle
Personal memory: Working in the physical therapy office, seeing people struggling to do the most basic things like walk – how adults can be helpless and it can happen to anyone. That time in my life I was also relying on chance and struggling with basic concepts in my life because I was unemployed/temping and feeling out of control.
Object – My own chair
Personal memory - No chairs at desks or tables really struck me like the driver's seat in my Pontiac, the first car I got when I turned 18. Driving along to New York- the car was one of the first things that was all mine. My responsibility and my privilege, and I took it up and down the east coast. That front seat was MY seat, and I was alone in it for days. It was a seat of personal growth, inspiration, finding myself, having freedom.
Senses: Feel- sweat and the fabric molding to my body. The way the fabric rubbed when I wore shorts or a skirt, itchy but not hot like leather would have been. Humid air conditioner blowing in my face. Cracked steering wheel under my hands.
Hear- a slight whistle from the broken window, my favorite song, the hum of the road under my feet. My unanswered phone ringing
See- the gray brown fabric of the seat, the dust on the dashboard, the road stretching ahead of me.
Object – the dock
Personal memory: This deck reminds me of the one on Lake Magdalene in Tampa, where my father in law lives. He has a lovely lake house and when we were 18 or so, he built a dock. I was just getting serious with my boyfriend at the time and time spent at the lakehouse and on the dock represented a lot of nerves for me while getting to know my new family. Would they like me? Should I bring a bathing suit? Can I smoke cigarettes in front of them? These apprehensions took a long time to fade away. This father's day, I got on the back of a jet ski with my father in law and rode around, half-drunk and having a blast with him. It was hilarious and reminded me how far we've come and how much more comfortable I am with them now. Perhaps it comes with age, or just time, or maybe my confidence is just better since I am older and more sure of what I want.
Senses: Sight – everything is beautiful there. The pink sun setting over the trees on the other side of the lake. The flowers spilling from pots on the edge of the dock. Spiderwebs in the rafters and lilypads under the ladder.
Touch- the dogs shaking their wet hair on me. The sun-warmed wood when I sit in a skirt on the edge of the dock, dipping my toes in the water when it's high enough. Walking along the strip of sandy dirt that serves as a beach when the water is low enough, kicking sprays of lake at Brett.
Scent – the fresh grass of the lawn meeting the clean water of the lake. The barbeque always running.
Object – The library
Personal memory: I spent time at a retreat that was similar to this one in a lot of ways. My favorite place there – as with here – was the library. It was a circular room, all wood, with five windows in five rooms complete with cushioned seats. I learned so much there, reading books and writing and listening in to hushed conversations or the speakers and yoga teachers who taught upstairs.
Senses: Hearing – Hushed whispered muffled by the slide of books on a shelf. Feet padding in unison above me during a yoga class as they switched from down dog to warrior II. The string of bells by the door.
Taste: The mug of tea or coffee I invariably brought with me, keeping me warm. How it'd grow cold because I'd be there for so long. Ginger candies to suck on for the times I hid there, anxious and wanting to be alone.
Sight: Rows and rows of magical books, layers of rugs and carpets on the floor in colorful colors. Randal's painting hiding in the stairwell, the artist-in-residence's dominating the first floor. Colorful New York foliage outside the window, people working in the garden.
Object – Yoga mat in the dance studio
Personal memory: Ever since 2009 I fell in and out of practice with yoga. Seeing the dance studio here, complete with the pile of yoga mats, brought up a lot of memories, particularly my most recent. I gained fifty pounds in the last couple of years and have been scared of my own body and practicing yoga, but I took the leap a few weeks ago after going to the gym for about three months. The class was amazing. I cried after, my body feeling more open and strong than it had in months and months.
Senses: Smell: Yoga has a particular smell. The plastic of the mat mingled with old absorbed sweat and new sweat beading down your face. Others around you with their own odors. The wood of the floor of the studio. If you're lucky, the open window and fresh air. I still remember that first year, walking all the way up into the woods and floating back down after yoga, smelling the trees and the air and feeling free.
Sight: My vision narrows to nearly nothing. I don't look in the mirror but watch my hands and my feet as they come together again and again. The blue of my mat becomes my world and the black of my eyelids becomes my rest.
Touch: the tacky sticky feeling of an hour of moving, hands and feel stuck to the mat. The sensation of stretching and burning in my thighs and back, the strength in my arms. I feel everything.
Senses: Hearing- his feet on the ground and the chair, the music, the dull thud of him falling to the ground, seeing him twist and turn and consistently struggle with his chair. Feeling the warmth of the theater and seeing it reflected in the sweat and the struggle
Personal memory: Working in the physical therapy office, seeing people struggling to do the most basic things like walk – how adults can be helpless and it can happen to anyone. That time in my life I was also relying on chance and struggling with basic concepts in my life because I was unemployed/temping and feeling out of control.
Object – My own chair
Personal memory - No chairs at desks or tables really struck me like the driver's seat in my Pontiac, the first car I got when I turned 18. Driving along to New York- the car was one of the first things that was all mine. My responsibility and my privilege, and I took it up and down the east coast. That front seat was MY seat, and I was alone in it for days. It was a seat of personal growth, inspiration, finding myself, having freedom.
Senses: Feel- sweat and the fabric molding to my body. The way the fabric rubbed when I wore shorts or a skirt, itchy but not hot like leather would have been. Humid air conditioner blowing in my face. Cracked steering wheel under my hands.
Hear- a slight whistle from the broken window, my favorite song, the hum of the road under my feet. My unanswered phone ringing
See- the gray brown fabric of the seat, the dust on the dashboard, the road stretching ahead of me.
Object – the dock
Personal memory: This deck reminds me of the one on Lake Magdalene in Tampa, where my father in law lives. He has a lovely lake house and when we were 18 or so, he built a dock. I was just getting serious with my boyfriend at the time and time spent at the lakehouse and on the dock represented a lot of nerves for me while getting to know my new family. Would they like me? Should I bring a bathing suit? Can I smoke cigarettes in front of them? These apprehensions took a long time to fade away. This father's day, I got on the back of a jet ski with my father in law and rode around, half-drunk and having a blast with him. It was hilarious and reminded me how far we've come and how much more comfortable I am with them now. Perhaps it comes with age, or just time, or maybe my confidence is just better since I am older and more sure of what I want.
Senses: Sight – everything is beautiful there. The pink sun setting over the trees on the other side of the lake. The flowers spilling from pots on the edge of the dock. Spiderwebs in the rafters and lilypads under the ladder.
Touch- the dogs shaking their wet hair on me. The sun-warmed wood when I sit in a skirt on the edge of the dock, dipping my toes in the water when it's high enough. Walking along the strip of sandy dirt that serves as a beach when the water is low enough, kicking sprays of lake at Brett.
Scent – the fresh grass of the lawn meeting the clean water of the lake. The barbeque always running.
Object – The library
Personal memory: I spent time at a retreat that was similar to this one in a lot of ways. My favorite place there – as with here – was the library. It was a circular room, all wood, with five windows in five rooms complete with cushioned seats. I learned so much there, reading books and writing and listening in to hushed conversations or the speakers and yoga teachers who taught upstairs.
Senses: Hearing – Hushed whispered muffled by the slide of books on a shelf. Feet padding in unison above me during a yoga class as they switched from down dog to warrior II. The string of bells by the door.
Taste: The mug of tea or coffee I invariably brought with me, keeping me warm. How it'd grow cold because I'd be there for so long. Ginger candies to suck on for the times I hid there, anxious and wanting to be alone.
Sight: Rows and rows of magical books, layers of rugs and carpets on the floor in colorful colors. Randal's painting hiding in the stairwell, the artist-in-residence's dominating the first floor. Colorful New York foliage outside the window, people working in the garden.
Object – Yoga mat in the dance studio
Personal memory: Ever since 2009 I fell in and out of practice with yoga. Seeing the dance studio here, complete with the pile of yoga mats, brought up a lot of memories, particularly my most recent. I gained fifty pounds in the last couple of years and have been scared of my own body and practicing yoga, but I took the leap a few weeks ago after going to the gym for about three months. The class was amazing. I cried after, my body feeling more open and strong than it had in months and months.
Senses: Smell: Yoga has a particular smell. The plastic of the mat mingled with old absorbed sweat and new sweat beading down your face. Others around you with their own odors. The wood of the floor of the studio. If you're lucky, the open window and fresh air. I still remember that first year, walking all the way up into the woods and floating back down after yoga, smelling the trees and the air and feeling free.
Sight: My vision narrows to nearly nothing. I don't look in the mirror but watch my hands and my feet as they come together again and again. The blue of my mat becomes my world and the black of my eyelids becomes my rest.
Touch: the tacky sticky feeling of an hour of moving, hands and feel stuck to the mat. The sensation of stretching and burning in my thighs and back, the strength in my arms. I feel everything.
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Today we used what was around us to inspire personal memories and invoke the senses. Experiential learning can be like this or with any lived experience of the students.
Today we used what was around us to inspire personal memories and invoke the senses. Experiential learning can be like this or with any lived experience of the students.
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