I'm home for Fall Break and my brain is slowly shutting down, so hopefully I can remember everything I planned to write about...hopefully! Here it goes: Field this week was very much like field has been every other week. I didn't get to be as active in the classroom as I would have liked (though my cooperating teacher had intended to have me help this week, we just ran out of class time). On the flip side of that, however, I have a topic and date for my first lesson, which will cover unions and the rise of socialism (post-Industrial Revolution in Britain) in my World Studies class. I'm excited and am brainstorming possible activities (unfortunately every time I do this I get "Food, Glorious Food" stuck in my head...which might also have something to do with my grumbly stomach).The thing that had, by far, the biggest impact on me this week was not something that happened in the classroom, but while attending my professional activity (a *INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION HERE* meeting). The *INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION HERE* is a group comprised of the mothers of *INSERT NAME OF HIGH SCHOOL HERE* graduates who have since joined the military. They organize activities for Veteran's Day, hold a Military Appreciation night, organize donation drives for care packages, send letters (written by the younger students) to military members, and organize a "50 Flag Salute" for soldiers' homecomings.
The women at the meeting explained the tradition of the “50 Flag Salute” in which they place three signs on the lawn of the returning soldier reading: “*INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION HERE*”, “Welcome Home”, and “50 Flag Salute”. Around the signs they place fifty flags representing each of the states the soldiers fought to protect. I was given the honor of creating the "Welcome Home" sign that would be displayed on the lawns of all of the returning service members. I cannot even begin to describe how meaningful this was for me! I had the opportunity to talk to the mothers there, listen to their stories, and do something I am passionate about (and I got to COLOR)! There is no feeling more wonderful than the feeling that comes from knowing that you made a difference, and I MADE A DIFFERENCE! However indirectly, I know that through that sign I am welcoming each of those soldiers home...
You have no comments and it's after midnight on Sunday. Here I am to fill the gap! I will resist the urge to finish your quote; although I would like to say that the last word of the line is "custard." I digress... I really am writing to respond to the content of your blog.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm excited that you'll be able to teach a formal lesson soon, since being 'active' in the classroom makes field feel worthwhile. While the days of a semester can run together, no two days of field are the same and for me, involvement in classes always highlighted that in a BIG way. Keep finding ways to involve yourself. You might still be thinking that you need an invitation to do something in class. However, the day will come when you jump in and love it so much that you will wonder why you ever bothered to wait! (I didn't believe in the existence of such a day a year ago, but it comes, I promise.)
Second, I'm not at all surprised that your most meaningful experience this week occurred outside of the classroom-you were able to connect yourself to the larger community. If field is about being active in the classroom, for me, the educational experience is about connecting: events, people, and experiences. Those connections seem to last longer than any specific lesson content. The little moments outside of the classroom as you hold your chai tea or as you color in a poster to hang in front of a soldier's home, those will be the moments your students remember long after they've forgotten the arguments for and against unions. Enjoy the little moments and hold onto them as tightly as you can. Regardless of what happens in the classroom itself, those moments will remind you of why you want to be a teacher and why you can't ever stop learning and growing even on the most difficult days.