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Is that not power? To love ourselves and where they come from.

Growing up, I never had teachers who looked like me; I am this change agent for many students.

For this artifact, I wanted to do another photo (this is me pictured with some graduating seniors from the class of 2016). At the high school level, the endpoint of public education K-12 is graduation. This photo showcases the power of working with the community and pushing beyond a school building's four walls. These students are each wearing a serape stole, which has cultural significance and shows the love for who they are and where they come from.

To revisit the theme, I see education as an opportunity to work with humans and see themselves as humans with boundless power.

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I really appreciate your attentiveness to select images, objects, and stories as symbols of transformation and possibilities.

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My third learning artifact is something a took from a great ABAR focused educator based in DC named Liz Kleinrock. I modified it and used it for the final week of school. As we talked about the election and as students struggled with the stress of the end of the quarter, I gave them this menu as an opportunity to decompress when they finished their work instead of giving them something else to do. This was a welcome break for the students and me. I was surprised with the buy-in. Almost every student reported back their choice and how it made them feel after. I am learning to find ways to bring rigor and high expectations to the classroom while challenging this concept of grind culture- that we must always be doing something more and doing something better.

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For this artifact I wanted to express a feeling of optimism.  For those who do not know our President Elect is a HUGE family man.  He often refers to himself as Jill Biden's husband.  Jill Biden, when she was Second-Lady, was only the second wife of the VP that kept her day-job while her husband was in office; a teacher.
Everyone is talking about Kamala Harris and breaking the glass-ceiling and I do not want to detract from that.  I am VERY excited that the U.S. has finally pulled our heads out of.....well anyway, congratulations Vice President Harris.
I think I, as an educator, am more excited to see another educator in such an influential role as First-Lady.  Mrs. Biden, I am expecting great things from you.
A toast to the future ladies of the White House.

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Community as Inspiration Artifact #3 - Bright Ones

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Community as Inspiration Artifact #3 - Bright Ones

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My third artifact is a series of characters that I started developing this week. They were inspired by a student, who created an art activity worksheet for me to do at home and shared it with me at our materials pick up.
I think this is one of the most salient parts about learning. The social part, that others play a key role in our evolution as people, no matter what age we are. We are a learning community - if we are open to it, we all play both roles - teacher and student.

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I really appreciated the conversation that we had in class on Thursday.  It was nice to know that there are other teachers struggling with the current state of instruction.  It really shines a spotlight on the importance of student-teacher relationships, and the current struggle making those bonds.  For this artifact I wanted to find an image that represents relationships.
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/uU4MxWzSVWTJDEbf7

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I've been working on this mask for awhile. It's a California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. It almost went extinct, and someone in the Bay area decided to repopulate them by raising caterpillars in their backyard.
Right now I think learning is all about transformation, letting go, and being brave enough to take those kind of actions - resisting the urge to stay safe and cocooned.

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My second learning artifact is a graphic novel that a student of mine created two years ago in 6th grade ELA. As a learner, I express my understanding and skill through creative, project based work. Demonstrating understanding through writing papers is challenging for me. I am much more motivated by project work. I try to always offer creative/ visual product and process options for my students. This student wrote such a heart wrenching graphic novel of yearning for connection titled, "The Lone Triangle." She demonstrated understanding of character development and story elements on a deeper level than I could have anticipated.

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La Educación es Liberación // Education is Liberation

Images from the 2016 Forest Grove High Walk-Outs

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I recognize your commitment to anti-racist practices and actions that ensure equity and inclusion for in education. I find myself fascinated - and inspired! - by words from others who have the ability to articulate what I want to say, yet so much better!

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"An educator in a system of oppression is either a revolutionary or an oppressor." _Lerone Bennet Jr

have two artifacts, these words that guide my teaching as well as a polaroid of my students in a vegetable garden that we created. As to strive to become  an anti- racist/ anti-biased educator, I work to interrogate how the curriculum, culture, and community of our classroom act as spaces of liberation or spaces of indoctrination.

The polaroid reminds me of a moment where a group of students felt both motivation and success in their work and learning. I hope to create this within the classroom.

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“Tú eres mi otro yo. - You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti, - If I do harm to you,

Me hago daño a mi mismo.I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto, - If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo. - I love and respect myself.”

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"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can do what others can't."  -Jerry Rice

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"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can do what others can't."  -Jerry Rice

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I have two artifacts:
The quintessential teacher pens, the Paper Mate Flair.

My other artifact is my my favorite attention-getter in my classroom; the harmonica. There is just something soft and soothing about a harmonica that is a gentle redirect for my students.

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Learning is a Forest because
It is mysterious
It is joyful
You can get lost in it
It grows
It changes you
It supports life
It can be scary

I chose to make a digital design because it was the best way for me to get the image in my mind across in a digital format.

I thought about some other metaphors: fabric, a ladder, a seed, a mirror. I still might go with some of those for my additional artifacts. But a forest seemed like the richest metaphor to start with because in my mind it encompasses the depth and complexity of the learning experience.