Time Well Spent

As this final chapter in my Walden journey comes to a close I have enjoyed thinking back to previous courses.  My first deeply felt learning came very early on in my program.  It is that in order to make an impact and bring about change I must first begin my examining myself.  I remember taking courses about being anti-biased, culturally sensitive, etc. and thinking that I already was all of those things.  I was not.  While I work hard to treat everyone with respect I found interesting little tidbits in class would strike a nerve with me.  When we talked about privilege I was almost embarrassed about the fact that I am from a middle-class, white family because I learned that it afforded me many opportunities that others don’t have.  As I learned more and went through different courses I found out many new things about myself.  I’ve also embraced that the things I’m not overly proud of will not magically vanish overnight.  Being aware, though, allows me to be self-reflective and conscious of my own prior experiences and the diverse makeup of the groups I work with.

Another important thing that I learned in this program is that collaboration is incredibly important.  I used to feel that it was easier for me to “do my own thing” because group work can be difficult and messy.  Finding out that “storming” is a normal phase of group work helped me to feel better about working through hardships when working with others.  I have come to realize that teaching and working in isolation isn’t good for me or the students and families I work with.  While group work may be more difficult the benefits are vast.  Working with people from different backgrounds and with different skill sets can be so valuable.

The final thing I will share might seem a bit out of place, but it is something that was driven home in every course.  I have learned to support my ideas with resources, references, quotes, statistics, and studies.  Each course required critical reading of articles, sifting through research, looking up information, and writing succinctly.  I feel that I am well-equipped to write at a professional level but I have also learned to incorporate this skill into my daily work.  I am currently writing a grant to get bikes, ride-on equipment, helmets, and scooters for our Kindergartners.  While writing up the proposal I found myself automatically reading articles about the benefits of movement and including quotes and statistics about the link between physical activity and academic learning.  Supporting my ideas and keeping up-to-date on information has been ingrained in me!