The principles of Inclusion and Service were ingrained in me at a young age by my parents.
From as early as I can remember my mom was helping refuges come to the United States from all over the world. Day to day, week to week, and year to year we had people from all walks of life in our home, sharing foods and stories from their home countries.
My father shared his love of piano and reading with inner city kids that had very difficult home lives. He would spend his free time teaching children and adults how to read at our local library and on Sundays, you could always find him playing piano or organ for churches.
In my experience I have found it crucial to live by the principles of inclusion and service. Every human deserves respect. When teaching I have always tried my best to meet the student where they are in life. Some of my past students were homeless, in an abusive home environment, working two jobs, had learning disabilities, dreamers and worried about their family members getting taken away, couldn’t speak the language, were developmentally disabled, from cultures all over the world, etc.… I took the time to listen and understand their individual stories and situations and come up with a plan for me to help them learn.
When a student sees you see them it makes all the difference in the world. In eighth grade my science teacher pulled me aside and asked me if I was ok. I had been flunking his class and sleeping a lot during school. I was 13 years old, full of anxiety, depressed, dealing with an ongoing personal situation, felt alone in the world, and didn’t care about school or much of anything. He was the only one who saw me, and it felt amazing. To be honest I don’t even remember what he said to me. I just remember the feeling it gave me. I felt included. Over the next few weeks, I took my grade from an F to an A. At the end of the school year, I was given an award for the greatest improvement, but that wasn’t the real reward. The reward was in the lesson he taught me long before I ever knew I would become a teacher.
Art 326 has further deepened my understanding of inclusion in the classroom through teaching for artistic behaviors. I love the thought of greeting every student by name before class. Making that connection is so vital to the students’ self-worth. If a student feels seen they will be more invested and get more out of their educational experience.
The art piece that I created this week is a direct reflection of how I feel when I am performing an act of service or helping any human. It is a white light fluttering inside of me. A peaceful and joyous swirling. It is a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself and helping the greater good. Humanity.
As I have in the past… I will continue to see my students to the best of my ability. I’ll try to not get complacent in the day to day of life…. I will respect each and every one as the human they are.
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