“One Moment in Time”
Not
sure why the song “One Moment in Time” keeps coming to mind when I think about
my summer placement at La Casa de Don Pedro and Bragraw . Perhaps because I am a huge Whitney Houston
fan or it could be that the 2012 Olympics are only 9 days away and I am in the
Olympic spirit. Whatever the reason, I
have reconnected with the words of the song and more importantly allowed the
words to shape and give new meaning to my role as an emerging teacher in the
City of Newark.
Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me
I'm only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown
The first
verse of this song is what I strive for each day I interact with a child from
the one of the programs. Whether I am co-teaching a lesson on finance or
chatting with a small group of girls, or encouraging a young boy to slow down
so I can hear all his words, it is a day that I am striving to be the
best. Recognizing that I am not going to
get it right every time, I am always staying focused on the goal of educating our
children and encouraging them to dream beyond their circumstances.
This
past week in the program has provided numerous teachable moments and lessons to
be learned. I was forced to confront my
limitations as a teacher when 3 students showed up at the NPS program at 9:30
am hungry and because of school rules, the program was not allowed to feed them
until we returned back to the school at 2:00 pm. Wanting in my heart to buy the children food,
I knew I could not only buy three children food and not buy food for all
12. This situation made me feel sad; I
questioned my decision for hours after I left the Bears Stadium, knowing that I
had made the right decision financially but did I make the right decision
morally?
My
next teachable moment came while at La Casa.
In a veil attempt to co-teach the lesson on finance, Chamara, Joann, Nicole and I quickly noticed
that the class was getting away from us.
The rolling of the eyes, and the blatant disrespect had gotten to a
point where I could take no more. In my
authoritative/teacher voice (LOL) I proceeded to scold the students into
behaving and listening to us. After that
moment was over, I questioned and I still question was that right? It worked for the moment but did I leave them
with knowledge that would influence different/better behavior in the
future? I am not sure. What I took from the situation is that
routines matter and consistently is the key.
My
last teachable moment for the week came while at Bragraw. The old adage “Never Judge a Book by its
Cover,” is certainly true. The lead
teacher at Bragraw has a unique style that on its face is abrasive and the antithesis
of what I am being taught as an emerging educator. I am learning by observing the lead teacher
and through conversation, that there is a method to her “madness” and that most
importantly she is invested in the success of children. The real so what out of this experience is
not to judge to quickly a situation especially when I am not armed with the all
the knowledge. This book (the lead
teacher) is rich which information.
As I
am preparing for my last week in the program, I am continuing to strive for my “one
moment in time.” Although my quest to
teach and impact the lives of children is for a life time, I am committed to
seizing each moment as the one moment where I can encourage I child to be their
best. I realize that my journey to encouraging
children to be the best begins with me being my best. I must stay committed to
the principles of effective pedagogy and the habit of being a reflective
practioner.
I want one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I
could be
When all of my dreams are a
heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity
Keshia, you are an incredibly thoughtful and reflective person. We will all make mistakes and contemplate our choices throughout our teaching careers and in other areas of our lives. The important thing is that we learn from these little moments. I also learned from our interactions with the students of 4A and 4B, and it was nice to go through that morning with support from three other cohort members.
ReplyDeleteYou work well with the children and have great energy in the classroom. I look forward to collaborating with you again in the future.
On a side-note, I too am looking forward to the Olympics next week!
How interesting that you are beginning to have a new perspective on the lead teacher at Bragaw. You said that all the students and teachers loved her, and so it makes sense that there must have been a reason. I too am beginning to realize that there is a broad range of teaching approaches and styles that can be effective in the classroom as long as a foundation of care and respect exists.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you are even asking yourself these questions about whether or not you did the right thing in certain situations with the students is already a sign of your quality as a teacher. It's when we've stopped asking yourself the hard questions that we have to worry.
Keshia,
ReplyDeleteI questioned the very same predicament in my placement...can we feed every hungry child, clothe every child who is cold, provide stability to every unstable child? I want to say yes, but again, mind and my wallet tell me otherwise. I guess the question now becomes how do we deal with our own demons once we have made the decision to not (whatever the 'not' is). How can I sleep at night knowing that a child who spends every day with me is hungry or cold? And if we decide to be the ones to provide the stability they need, will it not change their life? Will it shift their life course to one with a positive ending? I truly believe that this is something that will plague me in the years to come.
Im happy you are finding value in Ms. Usagi. It gets hard sometimes to find the good when you are presented off the bat with the bad. Im sure it wasnt easy, but you found the good....conrats :-)
PS - LOVE LOVE LOVE One Moment in Time. I used to listen to it when I warmed up my pitching arm in my softball days before a game lol :-)
ReplyDeleteKeshia,
ReplyDeleteI really love this post. I love Whitney Houston as well, and with her recent passing, I have found myself revisiting songs I haven't heard in years and realizing how meaningful her lyrics are to me today.
Regarding your comment about the lead teacher at Bragaw, it must feel great to now understand why the students love her so much. In DC, I certainly experienced encounters with people who would bend over backwards to help a child, but had little tolerance or patience for adults.
I can't wait for the Olympics either. In fact, I was just reading about Lolo Jones, a hurdler who grew up in poverty and has conquered the odds to make it to the Olympics the second time. It reminded me that any one of these children we are spending time with can grow up and achieve great things.