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I had a very difficult time paralleling my life to a song or show.  One song that came to mind is the chorus of Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You (Stronger)”:

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter

Footsteps even lighter

Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

I chose this song due to many losses and tramas in my life, that I had to continue to move forward and be stronger.  I also grew up with my father telling me that the pain/ certain challenges would aid in  making me stronger.

I also thought of the theme song to the show “Friends” and the overall theme of the show.  I have always been there for my friends and would be there for them through anything, and I have a small group of friends like the show where we go through a lot together, and have the best time together, even when life gets hectic and crazy we find ways to laugh and be around each other.

From a young age, I always knew I wanted to work with people, specifically children.  I remember sitting in Kindergarten on the carpet watching my teacher read stories and the way we all watched her and she made the books come alive.  My neighbor across the street from where I grew up was a Kindergarten teacher and she used to ask me to help her get materials for crafts/ activities, and she always had such fun things to do that I got to try out.  As I went through elementary school I had some pretty amazing and fun teachers.  I had a principal who traveled the world and would invite the students in her office as she shared stories and pictures.  I admired so many teachers in elementary school.  Then I went to middle school and I met some of the worst teachers I would even encounter.  I had a stigma, I was the little sister of a problem student, and was “greeted” that way.  Teachers would make comments about my sibling and myself to me, I had to defend myself daily to teachers, and prove myself as a student.  I vividly remember how these people can be educators as I watched them do this to many other students, and decided that there needed to be change in the system, they can’t be the ones to define education.  In high school I had a mix of teachers, but the ones I bonded with showed me that there was hope in the education field, and continued to help me grow and foster a love for teaching and working with others.  I knew I wanted to work with children in some capacity so that they knew they were supported, loved, valued, and could be safe.  This strong feeling drove my path to becoming a teacher.

In both Maxine Greene’s “Imagining Futures” article and Aguilar’s Introduction to “Cultivating Emotional Resilience”  the authors discuss teachers stopping to think about their situations and those students around them before reacting.  That the community around a teacher relies on how they respond to the many daily challenges, and influence a teachers’ feeling of burnout and exhaustion.  They both discuss or look at resiliency within teachers, that teachers need to be in control and decide how they will respond to challenges, especially unanticipated or stressful situations.  Teachers that are aware of this and their choices, can help themselves build resiliency and hopefully decrease burnout and exhaustion.  All this will help build the community in the classroom/ school, give students a place where they want to be, and keep them involved.

~Kelly H

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"There will be moments when

you will bloom fully and then

wilt, only to bloom again.

If we can learn anything from

flowers it is that resilience is born

even when we feel like we are

dying."

-"Rebirth" by Alex Elle

I have mindfully chosen this poem called "Rebirth" by Alex Elle. It is a nature-inspired poem on change and the cycle of life. Similar to how I feel a teaching year cycle is. As most teachers do, we tend to give our all at the beginning of a school year. And as the school year progresses, our energy starts to fade, yet we do not give up and push through until the year is done. The poem "Rebirth" reminds me that a new beginning exists after every end, and just like the flowers and trees, we must bloom, wilt, and bloom again.

It was not what made me choose this career, but a who.

From a young age, I knew that there was something different about me. Not only did I know it, but I also felt it. And I was repeatedly told by my teachers that I was never going to be or do something special.

Since my teachers felt the need to constantly remind me that I was stupid and being dyslexic was a curse and not a gift, I started to believe them. I did not want to stand out, for I was already branded with the big "D". Being quiet, shy, and unnoticeable was what I wanted to become.

I faded away, and I did not want the rest of the world to acknowledge me or my disability.

It took me years, and honestly, I am still discovering and understanding that being one of a kind and standing out with this disability is a fantastic thing. I am not looking at it as a curse anymore but as a unique gift that makes me stand out beautifully in this world.

This shift in attitude I actually gained from a teacher I had. She was the one who stripped down my barriers, demolished my fake front, and taught me how to rebuild myself from the foundation up. She was the one that showed me, by embracing and understanding my individuality, I was actually incredible and unstoppable. Thanks to her, I found my passion and calling to support those who feel not valued, heard, or understood.

Greene comments that "basic" educational skills are fading into the background and are no longer seen as life skills but just subjects to be taken. And the idea of a " movement focused on the development of the whole human being and the whole community," as Greene states, is seen as essential. This shift from individual silo teaching and surviving to cultivating resilience within the community links with Aguilar's conceptual framework, which has four parts; Who We Are, Where We Are, What We Do, and How We Are. All parts are equally important in a thriving and resilient community. Developing such resiliency skills within school focuses on the whole human being and is essential for all in the community to thrive.

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When thinking about a song, poem or show that paralleled my work, the first song that came to mind was Rise Up by Andra Day:
You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry go round
And you can't find the fighter
But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out
And move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains

And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again

For you
For you
For you
For you...
I am an elementary school counselor and identify with this song so much.  This has been a challenging few years for everyone, and add any personal or family tribulations, it could cause someone to break.  How fitting to talk about teacher resilience because it is something that we really need to focus on in order to best support the needs of our students.  I feel very blessed to have a wonderful support system so that I can "Rise Up" and be there to support the students and staff in my district.

At a fairly young age I became very interested in Psychology.  I was able to take an elective in high school and ended up studying  psychology in college.  During my second year, my friend's brother died by suicide. He was 2 years younger than us and was just getting ready to start college.  It was such a shock because he was a great student and had a lot of friends.  He always seemed so happy.  It was devastating to see the family mourn their son.  I decided that I was going to become a school psychologist to make sure that every student felt that they had someone they could talk to if they needed to.  I felt that if I could help one child, that would be enough for me.  While looking into school psychology programs, I came across school counseling.  I thought it would be a better fit for me because I would have more time to work with students if I didn't have to spend a lot of my time on testing.  This is my 14th year as a school counselor and I am so glad I made the decision I did.

When reflecting on the readings from this week, both Greene and Aguilar discuss the importance of community.  Greene stresses that the most important undertaking in education is creating a supportive community in the classroom. She also discusses how focusing on benchmarks and standards without thinking about how students can utilize the skills they are learning to "bring about change in their own lives, or in the lives of their families, or in their communities" is basically hindering student outcomes. She discusses the movement that the El Puente school developed that focused on the whole child and whole community. This school saw positive changes in the school- home-community relationships because they were working together for the greater good. Aguilar stress the importance of resiliency in strengthening communities. She states that educators need to build their own resiliency so that children can feel that they are a part of a resilient community. She also states that "in acquiring the individual strategies, resilient educators can then transform their entire classroom as a subset of society, their school as a larger subset and even the larger school district and system." This should be the goal of all educational institutions.

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If I had to compare my work life to a song, I would choose “The Next Right Thing”, sung by Kristen Bell from Frozen 2. Naturally, having two daughters, not only is Frozen (1&2) on a loop in our house, but so are the soundtracks. Elsa is always the one idolized as the brave one, the one who saves, and learns how to accept herself for who she is and celebrate that. Those are all great things, but I always look to Anna when I need realistic, wise, and practical advice. This whole song is about overcoming difficult times, even when you feel you can’t. It is no secret that teaching the last year and a half has been VERY difficult. We will live this reality for longer than I’d like to imagine. But, with Anna’s song, she takes it step by step to do the next right thing.

I won't look too far ahead

It's too much for me to take

But break it down to this next breath

This next step

This next choice is one that I can make

So I'll walk through this night

Stumbling blindly toward the light

And do the next right thing

And with the dawn, what comes then

When it's clear that everything will never be the same again?

Then I'll make the choice

To hear that voice

And do the next right thing

I feel this is how I have had to approach life in this pandemic, and this is how my work life feels. But, doing this; doing the next right thing and not looking too far ahead, has made it all feel manageable. I am doing what I need for myself and my students while slowly working through the challenging times. We cannot look too far ahead, because that is overwhelming and taking those small steps to do the next right thing are what keeps us showing up for ourselves and our students.

I think I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. As a child I would pretend to be a teacher and set all my stuffed animals up on my bed and get out my chalkboard and teach them letters and numbers. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in the education field. It took me a while to figure out where my passion was. I knew I did not want to be a general education teacher because I enjoyed spending my time with students of all ages and developmental levels. I thought maybe I’d want to be a librarian to help students find their love of reading and support them but after a few courses in that field, it wasn’t the right fit. I then started working as a paraeducator in a school (the school I currently teach at) and we had two students with special needs in our class. I was fascinated by all the things I learned in the special education field while working with these students and their team. I ended up meeting with my administration about studying to be a special education teacher and they fully supported me and even hired me as the school’s SRBI interventionist so I could gain experience analyzing data, learning about the tiers of intervention, and working with students who needed extra support or had learning disabilities. The special education teacher I worked with my first year as a paraeducator was someone I admired and wanted to be like when I grew as an educator. She is now one of my best friends and I work alongside her in our special education department. She’s someone who mentors me as an educator, a mom, and someone who always helps me to do the next right thing. I became a special education teacher after four years working at my current school and have been working in the field of special education for six years. Every time I am asked the question of how I knew I wanted to be a teacher or how I got into the field, I think about my first students and mentors and how they inspired me and believed in me.

Greene’s essential message connects to community and resilience like Aguilar’s introduction. They also mention the communities around teachers and the resilience of teachers and students. The community of a teacher and the way they respond to students and situations connects directly to teacher resiliency and burnout. When a teacher struggles to respond to students or is reactive, it affects the community of the classroom and school climate. When teachers can take a step back and look at situations with a different lens, then they can help themselves to be more resilient to stressful situations. This increase in resiliency will then improve stress and burnout for teachers along with student community and school climate.

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Wow!  Trying to think of an artistic work to parallel my educator's mind and current purpose was difficult.  Eventually, I remembered a song that mirrors my 2 contemplation words for the week-Truth and Action.  The name of the song is "Say Something" by Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton.  I identify with the lyrics and love the melody and harmony between the 2 artists.  The lines of the song that speak to me are:
"Everyone knows all about my direction
And in my heart somewhere, I wanna go there
Still I don't go there

Everybody says, "say something"
Say something, say something
Then say something, say something, then say something

I don't wanna get caught up in the rhythm of it
But I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no
Caught up in the middle of it
No, I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no, no
Caught up in the rhythm of it

Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have)
Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have"(J.T. & C.S., 2018).  As a 41-year old women I have experienced a number of traumatic experiences (much like most individuals).  I currently see a deep searing, hot wound in my district and schools around me in general.  For years schools in my area have put temporary band-aids on issues and expected something to change.  Well, it has not and I am so frustrated and angry.  Greene talks about "not succumbing to a feeling of futility" (272).  I feel like my attempts to try to open people's eyes to the suffering of both students and teachers have been physically heard, but never really listened to.  The song I referenced above gives me the drive to keep standing up for the wellness of all individuals in the school.  Even though I have to fight feelings of futility or hopelessness.

My path to education was a roller coaster with twists, turns, drops and accents.  I never wanted to be a teacher because I had seen my mom and grandmother and the toll teaching took on them.  I pursued what I thought would be a much more profitable career with specific, tangible results.  I attended SUNY Plattsburgh and graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry.  I graduated on a Saturday and started my first "adult" job on Monday at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (presently known as Pfizer) as a Quality Assurance Chemist.  I was making top dollar with amazing benefits and stock options.  What I didn't realize was how boring and lonely the job would be.  I left the job after a year to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Vermont.  Again I was involved in lab work, but this time with the added commitments of taking classes and teaching nursing students aseptic technique and bacterial identification.  Let's just say I put 100% into the teaching assignment and let everything else slack.  After a year at UVM, I transferred to SUNY Plattsburgh and graduated with my M.S. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2006 with my sister who graduated with her undergraduate degree on the same day!  Long story short I was hired at my old high school Seton Catholic where I spent 2 years teaching Regents Earth Science.  In search of a public school job I landed one at Stafford Middle School in Plattsburgh, NY.  I was still teaching Earth Science with thoughts of getting biology classes in the future.  After that year I suffered a personal tragedy and with  only one bag of stuff I moved to a state I had never been before and had no family there - North Carolina.  I got a teaching job there in an urban school, which I was not prepared for.  Teachers had to be escorted to their cars by police officers because several individuals had been shot around the school.  My new friend, Maggie, was murdered when a man followed her to a gas station, grabbed her and 13 days later the police found her body.  Shaken to the core, I moved back to Plattsburgh and lived with my parents.  I was lucky to get a Regents Living Environment teaching position at a local high school and have been there ever since.  I am currently in my 17th year of teaching.

Emotional resilience is something I try to build up in myself, my students and my colleagues as much as I can. I am currently co-teaching a leadership class that uses curriculum through Sweethearts and Heroes, which brings leadership training, bully prevention and the 5 SEL competencies to the classroom via sharing circles. Honestly, this class is the only thing keeping me from leaving my job right now. I believe all educators and students need opportunities like this class to grow, learn and thrive in our world today. I was thrilled to read Greene's comments on community and the need for inventing situations where all of us can come together, see the humanity in all of us and use this a springboard to dramatically change the educational culture and system for the better. If we don't do this now I fear that there will be an exodus of teachers and the mental health workers will be overwhelmed with student and teacher trauma. I believe that Greene's thoughts tie in well with the article on resilience. Aguilar's introduction acknowledges the need for change and identification of realities within a school and community. Stress is a killer if chronic and not treated. High cortisol levels can reek havoc on the body physically, emotionally and mentally. I believe that the combination of Greene's and Aguilar's writings are powerful and give all of us a call to action.

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As young as I can remember I was motivated my Helen Keller and the Relationship she had with Anne Sullivan.  This teacher Ms. Sullivan saw beyond what everyone saw in Helen. The movie "The Miracle Worker" is a force that has pushed me to do more. I have been fortunate to have people in my life that believe in me but at the same time there are those that make me feel insecure.  Anne Sullivan was a fighter she believed she could make a difference in Helen's life and she did.  Anne struggled with her own health issues but still put Helen first.  although I did not know I wanted to be a teacher at a young age , I did know I wanted to make a difference.  I did know that  with hard work anything is possible.. In many ways I believed in miracles.  I believe with enough determination, courage, creativity and hard work all things are possible.  Yes, I also believe in a higher power so with that faith and that commitment to make my vision a reality to move forward even when the task in front of me seems impossible I believe all things are possible.  If Helen can learn to speak, read and write- in essence think and communicate- everything must be possible.

At a young age I did not know what I wanted to do with my life.  I was active in my church community. Involved in service projects.  I was a girl scout as well.  I was very competitive and wanted to sell the most girl scout cookies. I loved taking on a leadership role in both girl scouts and at my church youth group but as a career I had no idea.  I wanted something creative- something different.  I think part of me wanted to go into acting. I would have loved to be in a movie or TV show.  that was a just a pipe dream.  My parents would never would have allowed that. I loved math.  I was very good at it.  so when it was time to apply to college I applied as a math major.  unfortunately, I did not do so well my freshman year and needed to change majors.  Still loved math, but the professors had no personality.  I could not learn from them.  I was used to having really good teachers- who loved what they did.  Always a top student- it was the first time I did not excel in school. I needed to change majors and I decided on Psychology.  I enjoyed what I was learning and considered going into family counseling as a career.  I met my husband pretty soon after graduating college and wanted to start a family.  I felt being an elementary school teacher would be best.  I always figured I could go back one day to pursue my counseling career.  I think choosing to do this program now is part of filling that gap I feel inside me to get my dreams fulfilled.  I don't know how this program will get me there but I believe its the correct path.  I have been a teacher in New York city schools for over 25 years.  Its been a hard 25 years. I love what I do.  I love the students and their families. I love my colleagues but its always been hard.  Dealing with students with many discipline problems has always been my struggle. With that said, I have become better navigating how to help all my students thrive.  Making sure that I have good relationships with my parents has been  what has helped me make it through all these years.  I believe in them and their family units.  I know that my own family is not perfect and I am flexible as teacher.  I always believe in my students and know that no matter what hurdles/struggles the student is going through with support and  faith in them they can be successful. I think I am resilient.  I have had some difficult times dealing with administrators that are not flexible and trying my best to stick to my gut instincts.  I don't believe in cookie cutter solutions.  Every child , every family, every school year is unique.  what works one year does not always work the next. I believe in change and I hope to see change in education in the next 10 years.  When education truly understand that to be successful in academics one must feel secure in their own abilities.  Teachers should be creating lessons  where the objective is to create more resilient, more creative ,more curious learners. As a lesson designer the social emotional soft skills need to be in the forefront.

while reading Maxine Green's "imagining Futures" article and Aguilar's Introduction to "Cultivating Resilience" the authors  target areas in education that I have been thinking about for the last 5 or so years. I can remember many times in my 25 years where i just wanted to quit because things like the"data" was more important to administration than the child's mental health. How could a student be successful in math or reading when they are struggling with their emotions and family problems. I ask myself many times what was it that gave me as a teacher the strength to keep going each year? those who loved me advised me to quit many times. My answer- I can not do that- I need to finish the year- those kids need me. For some I was the most consistent thing they had. I always came in with a sincere smile and sense of humor. I always believed in them. I never gave up on them. In essence I never gave up on me. I believed that I had a special something inside me that made me a fighter- "resilience" and I wanted to model that to my students. Many of my students come back and visit me. They make me laugh- they know how difficult they made my life and they tell me even though I was disappointed in their behavior sometimes- they always knew they were loved and that I believed in them. They knew that their teacher believed they could become somebody. Their teacher believed in their dreams. I guess I taught them to be resilient. Hopefully they are doing the same thing being a great role model to other young people. I was lucky to have great teachers in my early education. They believed in me. I think it was meant to be for me to be a teacher- I didn't know it as a kid but life took me there.

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When thinking about the challenges and dilemmas I face currently as an educator and school leader I immediately thought of the poem "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur. This poem parallels my day to day on a variety of levels.

- First when I was teaching English I used a lot of music and musicians to showcase the elements of poetry through songs in which students could immediately connect. Tupac's book of poetry was one of the texts I would use consistently to introduce skill work.

-Secondly, this particular poem represents our school and students explicitly. We focus on students that have had an interruption in education at some point, students who face a lot of emotional issues as well as complex traumas. So this poem reflects their lives. The concrete is all those factors that hold students back or down, but with the right environment, community, support, etc, the students (aka the rose) can find a way through. They can find their stride, their motivation, their inner light, etc, also recognized as the crack in the concrete and once through, their next step, their next breath is their choice, they provide themselves the opportunity for options.

-Lastly, as a school leader I also see this poem as a reflection of our staff. Prior to and due to the pandemic, there's an invisible yet very real weight on everyone's shoulders, the concrete if you will. We are all fighting to find that relief, that crack to somehow get on the other side of things.

When I first attended college, teaching was not on the table as a viable career option, in fact I started undergrad as a communications major then bounced around into economics, international relations and then back to communications. When I settled back into communications I focused more on global movement and took an interest in the sociology courses such as global ethnographies, the diaspora and deviance. Learning about human behavior historically and world wide became more interesting to me then any other courses I had taken. At the same time I was playing for the Women's Varsity Soccer team and we began volunteering at a local elementary school in the off-season. We would go in once a week and work with groups of students on reading and writing. The teacher of the classroom I was working in told me I had a natural presence with the students and asked if I considered going into education. This was the catalyst for my next steps, a combination of my studies in sociology and the work with the school. I began to look at my options due to the fact that I wouldn’t graduate with an undergraduate degree in education.

After a few dead ends, I applied and was accepted into a program called the New York City Teaching Fellows. The program worked in conjunction with AmeriCorps to gain more teachers for Title I schools in underserved areas of New York City. They helped subsidize a Master’s Degree in Education, assist in acquiring New York State Teaching License and as a member you were able to teach full time while earning your Masters. I did not intend to stay in New York too much past earning my Masters, however, 14 years later I am still here. In my fifth year of teaching I was asked to help Co-Found the school I currently work in to support the most marginalized high school students in the city. I truly believe due to my education in sociology and my developed passion for this work, I am still continuing and loving the work I do to help new students each year have a potentially better academic experience and preparation for life after high school.

Greene’s essential message in this section is to find ways in order to develop the whole student and the whole school community. She eludes the detriment of only focusing on standards and benchmarks, and quotes Frances Lucerna saying, “Look what’s happened to reading, writing and arithmetic…these ‘basics’. We don’t see them any longer as life skills. They’re subjects to be taken, subjects outside our experience”. When education no longer connects to real world application students who need to see a correlation between school and life begin to disengage. We as educators need to capture students' attention or as Greene put it, “they were able to extend the grasp of consciousness”, to connect school, with their community and beyond.

I see a connection to Aguilar’s use of the three conversations. Looking first at individual resilience of the students and the staff and the school community. Secondly, the organizational conditions, how is the school culture set up to engage the students, to intellectually stimulate them as well as infuse life skill work and real world application. Lastly, how are systematic conditions, the district initiatives that need to be completed, presented to the school community in order to fulfill requirements, but also benefit from the data derived from those initiatives in order to reflect and make next step goals for the students and the school community.

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1) I find it funny to read books and watch movies/tv-shows about boarding school or reference boarding school.  Pop culture has given the idea that a boarding school is where students are sent when they are too "bad" to be home or have met their last strike.  The truth is my guys are just kids looking for a place to belong in a learning community that supports them.  There are "traditional" boarding schools for neurotypical kids that want a different learning community than public or day school.  But If I had to choose a boarding school-related pop culture to relate my school to, it would have to be Legacies.  The show is about a boarding school that two parents created to make a safe space for their daughters to grow and learn who are witches; they wanted it to be a safe space for all supernaturals.  In this way, The Greenwood School was also created to be a safe space for boys who learn differently to grow together.  Just like in the show, the boys I work with find friendship for the first time; they no longer feel alone, here their "differences" are celebrated, and they are taught how to harness them and excel.  They also deal with people who don't know them or understand our school having prejudice and preconceived notions about them.  Though my boys can get frustrated about this time and time again, they do rise above it.

2) My siblings and I all have learning differences: I am dyslexic, ADHD, and slow processing; my sister is dysgraphic; and my brother is a high functioning dyslexic, ADHD, and gifted.  Public schools in our district tried but failed each of us in one way or another.  We found our learning communities when we went to boarding school.  At Gould Academy, I found students that were academically driven, loved snow sports and were excited to be part of a community.  When looking for a school for me, my father and I stumbled upon Proctor Academy.  After being there for a tour for 5 minutes, we turned to each other and knew it wasn't the place for me but that my sister needed to become part of their community.  There she got the learning support she needed from teachers that understood her learning difference and could meet her where she was at.  She found friends and emotional support that she was missing from our community at home.  Though she was a bench rider on her hockey team, they attribute their winning the championship to her being the heart and soul of their team.  My sister when from pretty much failing in public school because she couldn't get the support she needed to making Head's List every trimester at Proctor.  My brother was struggling to find a learning environment at home that could support a high-functioning dyslexic, ADHD, academically gifted boy.  He was bored, teachers wrote him off as a behavior issue and the administration didn't understand him.  He found his people at Salisbury School, where the teachers' motto is "for the boys."  From the moment my family stepped onto Salisbury's campus we felt part of the community.  As my brother walked around for his tour all the boys said hello to him and knew his name.  There he found true brotherhood, as the youngest of 3 with two older sisters this was something he sorely needed.  When he and his friends got into trouble instead of being separated from the community, the school turned it into a community service and building opportunity.  He was being challenged athletically, academically, and celebrated socially for him being him.  In his Senior year, he was a named a Proctor (school leader).  They have to give speeches during a community meeting.  He gave a speech on what brotherhood means to him and finally talked about the loss of one of his closest friends that happened right before he left for his Freshman year there.  Through all our stories at boarding school our learning support teachers were key in our success.  To this day we all remain close with them and check in often.  I wanted to be that person for other students as a way of giving back.  I have loved working with my population at a therapeutic school, athletic driven school, and now at a school that is specifically for kids with learning difference.  They have helped me to grow so much as a teacher and I have seen so much growth in them as students and humanbeings.

3) When you combined Greene's school meeting kids with their interests with Aguilar's "Cultivating Emotional Resilience" we have a school that is meeting the needs of both teachers and students. When a school is teaching kids through their interests and project learning they are bought into their own learning and a lot of the behavioral stresses go away allowing teachers to direct that energy back towards their emotional resilience. I have found this to be true with my World History Class. I have twins in the class that have been reported to be behavioral issues in other classes when together. They just finished a group project together where they worked hard and needed no redirection from me. The most behavioral issues I had were at the first class when they were testing boundaries. When I asked the boys what was the difference between my class and others, their answer was that mine was project-based and the projects were interesting to them. I have also noticed that my own stress and anxiety is less for that class then my Geography class were I have such a large ability group that I'm still trying to figure out what projects they are able to engage in. It is in that class that I find myself in those moments Aguilar talks about being between stimulus and response. As I get to know them and they learn to trust one another like my older boys have we will have less of those moments.

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SEL 602 Module 1

1-Although I questioned this choice some, I quickly realized that the 80’s classic show, Punky Brewster (one of my favorites also!) shared many themes with my work life.  Punky was a child who had gone through so much, at such a young age, like several of my students.  She was often misunderstood and had a passion for life, creativity and was a kind, loving soul.  Punky found herself in some situations that I could not grasp at a young age, as my life was quite different than hers, but now as an adult, supporting students from a broad range of backgrounds, I can appreciate her resiliency (through her classic “Punky Power!”).  Punky was always there to help, but was open to getting help for herself, similar to my current role.  She tried to make the best of every situation, looking for the bright side.  She had her support network (adoptive father, best friend and her grandmother, dog, friends, teachers) by her side, who helped her in challenging situations.  Punky reminds me of several students.  You never truly know what some of our students are going through until you get a peek into their home life.  In my eyes, in the past and now, she exemplifies resiliency.

2-When I was young, I had a cousin who was older, and I always knew there was something “different” about her.  She was treated the same as any other cousin.  It wasn’t until I was older that I understood that she had special needs.  Unfortunately, for her, she grew up in Portugal where she didn’t have the resources she needed to thrive, and when her family came to the United States, it was difficult for them to access support due to their language barrier.  Luckily, the family who spoke English were able to assist, getting her the resources she needed.  She is now living a happy, productive life.  I was always close to her, and she motivated me to support individuals and their families in accessing the support they need.  I decided to pursue studies in the education field, specifically in Special Education.

Although ultimately, I did not become a special education teacher, I am currently in a place in my career where I still provide supports to students who are both in special and regular education.  I am also able to assist families whose first language is not English and may have difficulty navigating the US/Connecticut education system.  In the education field, as Greene stated in the article, we forget that facts are data.  This reminds me that most educators only have the opportunity to support students during the academic day, and do not get a glimpse of home life.  Being on the other side of this, I understand that that data does not represent the whole child/student/person.  It may or not represent one piece of their life.

3-Greene’s message connects with Aguilar’s introduction through resiliency and change.  Greene notes the use of using skills to bring about change, starting individually, then through others, bringing the community together.  Aguliar discusses how we interpret challenges and respond.  There is a brief moment where we cultivate resiliency.  This moment can be a lesson as many students and adults are watching, and taking it in.  Tempers can flare and be tested, but the way in which we react affects the community.  A positive, neutral reaction to circumstances can inspire others to also be positive, and supportive.

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I found this first part very difficult to do.  There are some days where I would best equate the job we do to the show E.R. where each day there is a crisis and we exist in a constant state of triage.  Each episode would be a day and the students are the ones we're trying to rescue.  Their needs seem so immediate and our actions sometimes so desparate.  Also, there is a fleeting sense of loss as we fail to accomplish with so many what seems to be fairly simple and logical.
On the flip side, there are days where the show Abbott Elementary is the world in which I live.  The last several years have been challenging for all of us.  For those people like myself, who tried to toe every line and keep showing up with a best effort, it was frustrating to watch others take advantage of the system.  Now it seems like many administrators want to move on like we're already  back to normal.  As such they're back to running schools as if self-care for teachers doesn't matter.  I think teachers needed this year to be a normal year inside the classroom before the additional stressors from central office were thrust back upon them.  I view the principal of that show as a collective representative of all of the bad initiatives that various administrators think are important right now. When reading about resilience I couldn't help but think about how much of the toxicity that teachers have to deal with comes from poor administrative decision making and lack of support. Instead of creating systems and programs that aid teachers, many school leaders simply take the new fad and impose it in a way that stresses people out because it is additive to their already busy schedules. I think one problem is simply with the nature of our work year. Teachers should probably work in the summer with a couple week break after the end of school followed by three or four weeks of training/professional development, then a couple weeks off before restarting the school year. Trying to train and institute meaningful PD during the year leads to the common use of the phrase building the plane while trying to fly it.

The "why" of my path to teaching was actually very simple; my grandfather was a person who I adored.  He was also a respected and admired teacher.  Both of my sisters are teachers, as well as many of my cousins.  It was something in high school that just seemed like the right path.  Looking back it may have been too easy of a path to take rather than really exploring what other options were out there.  I never even considered other options that today I wish I would have at least taken some time to look at.  There is a big part of this job that is unfulfilling.  Unlike other careers where you can see the finished product, teaching is full of very small successes and many failures.  That is part of the reason why I enjoy painting houses in the summer.  There is that feeling of doing a job well and it being done where you can move on to the next.

I couldn't help but think of the word authenticity when reading the work of Maxine Greene. However, it was the beginning of the reading that really struck a tone. The danger of the singular vision that the author referred to as one demensional thinking. More and more it seems our administrators are trying to create one best way to teach that all should follow. That minimizes the great diversity of teacher backgrounds and experiences that can be brought to the classroom. Too often of late there is a focus on the science of teaching, instead of the art of teaching working with the other side as a balancing act. As such, I see the organizational conditions and systemic conditions imposed on teachers as a great source of the toxic stress mentioned by Aguilar.

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This first question was difficult for me to answer because I don’t consider myself to be a particularly creative person. As a science teacher I gravitate toward data and facts. So, paralleling my life to a song, poem, show or book really challenged me! Nonetheless, never liking to admit defeat, I chose a song to parallel my work life. I chose “Let it Be” by the Beatles. For nineteen years I have been a high school science teacher at the same school. I have seen a lot happen and change in those 19 years. Well over one thousand students have come and gone from my classroom (some even died before they should have). Leadership and curriculums have changed, and sadly, safety within the schools has become a top priority. COVID protocols, active shooter training, surveillance cameras and armed security guards have become a part of our everyday life. Along with these changes has come a lot of anxiety and sadness. The lyrics of “Let it Be” can act as words of comfort and accepting; that there are bad things that happen in this world that we cannot change. Many times in my career I have had to remind myself “it’s going to be okay, just let it be.” I find the lyrics to be reassuring and it helps me focus on the things I CAN change and be a positive role model for my students.

In the spring semester of 2001 the Dean of the School of Education at Quinnipiac University came to speak to the students in one of my Athletic Training classes. I had always loved science, athletics, and helping people; which is why I chose to major in Athletic Training as an undergraduate at QU. The Dean presented our class with the opportunity to dual major in athletic training and education. There was a niche that existed in schools for an athletic trainer who could also teach courses. Wow, this sounded like a great idea to me, so I chose to follow-up and peruse this path. One of the education courses had me visiting schools to observe teachers in action. The moment I stepped into that first classroom I felt like I was at home. Like I was meant to be here and could really see myself being happy with this as a career. The athletic training part didn’t work out for me but I was still passionate about Biology. I earned my undergraduate degree in Biology in 2003 and finished my MAT in the spring of 2004. Before I even graduated, I was recruited by North Branford High School to fill an open position in their science department. Shortly after my interview, I was offered and then accepted the position. I find it hard to believe that 19 years has passed since then. It seems like ages ago but the memories are fresh in my mind like it was yesterday.

The introduction to Aguilar’s book “Onward,” gives actionable steps for the messages that are conveyed in Greene’s essential message. Greene talks about cultivating community and working towards a commons cause. As important as community is in the classroom it is becoming increasingly difficult in the age of social media and the internet. The cultivation of resilience is an important first step in fostering community. The introduction to Aguilar’s book focuses on the resilience being established first in teachers. If we, as educators, can be role models of resilience for our students, then we can begin to cultivate it in our students.

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Thinking about a song that compares my life’s work was easy for me.  I immediately go to my song I listen to when I feel I need motivation, Speechless by Naomi Scott.  This song was highlighted in the movie Aladdin where Jasmine struggles with the powers of Jafar.   Evaluating Jafar’s plot is that he is trying to overtake her life, control her, and remove her voice.  This whole song resonates with me that many people do not want to listen to words that are encouraging change.  They use their negative voice to try to distinguish any hope.  In Jafar’s mind and similarly with traditional roles of society the beliefs of old-world rule should remain, and we all are just destined to continue the pathways set forth for us by our ancestors.  As teacher of 20 years, I have been quiet, done my job, created a family in my classroom, and made connections to student athletes as a coach.  I thought this is what I was set forth to do.  It was until I had a new Superintendent that saw my leadership and acknowledged it.  I was in a sense awaken to an internal feeling that I had tried to ignore.  I wanted to help others as I have always done, but the need to help, the internal drive that I sought out to help was now focused on a bigger level.  As I chose my words carefully, moving like a chess piece I soon realized I had a target on my back much like Jasmine did; the outsiders wanted me to remain “Speechless”.  I am sharing the key words in this song with you; I do continue to listen to this song on repeat when I am feeling down.  I will not remain speechless!

Here comes a wave meant to wash me away
A tide that is taking me under
Swallowing sand, left with nothing to say
My voice drowned out in the thunder

[Pre-Chorus]
But I won't cry
And I won't start to crumble
Whenever they try
To shut me or cut me down

[Chorus]
I won't be silenced
You can't keep me quiet
Won't tremble when you try it
All I know is I won't go speechless
'Cause I'll breathe
When they try to suffocate me
Don't you underestimate me
'Cause I know that I won't go speechless

[Verse 2]
Written in stone
Every rule, every word
Centuries old and unbending
"Stay in your place"
"Better seen and not heard"
But now that story is ending

Again, I reflect on these words.  I strongly believe that the change in education is needed.  Together we should see the cries of our students and our teachers begging for caring and nurturing supports.  We don’t need the system to suffocate us or cut us down.  We need to be reborn with our sense of efficacy and resilience that has been buried by power, exams, and data.  We work together to drive the urge and the story of traditional education can end and we gain our cultural resiliency.

As a young child I was not sure exactly what I wanted to be but knew that I loved helping others; those 2 legged and 4 legged friends.  As a junior in high school, great in science and math I knew my calling was in that avenue.  I didn’t want to be a teacher at that time, I saw the stressors of teachers and I had some negative experiences with my own teachers judging my work just from my last name.  I set in my mind to stay away from the human relationships and care about the animals.  I wanted to explore being a vet.  This vision was clear to me until my guidance counselor told me I just wasn’t smart enough to do that.  Keep in mind I was in the top 10 of my class!  I struggled with my own sense of worth and ended up going to college for Small Animal Science.  At the end of my freshmen year in college I changed route to Pre-Med instead of Veterinary Medicine.  I was good in my courses, but the feeling of self-doubt was always there.  Graduating early with my degree, I still wasn’t sure what to do.  I had done work hours at the local hospital and loved helping my patients.  I applied to a master’s program in Physician Assistant studies.  I was given an interview to the program; excited to learn more I went.  There I was judged for an undergrad course grade:  I received a C.  I told them I understood the materials; I just couldn’t figure out how to write it in a way that was acceptable for the professor.  Even with hours in tutoring help, getting help from my roommate who had an A in the course, and meeting with the professor again.  I spoke of my pathway and how I tried to overcome the challenge; but to my dismay I was labeled and knocked down; it wasn’t what they were looking for in a student.  I was done.  I wanted no part of it.  I returned home, no goal for a pathway.  I knew I had to get a job, so I started substituting at the local schools.  6 months of doing this I applied to a master’s in education program and landed my first teaching job a year later.

I love helping my students obtain their thirst for knowledge, but as I said my sense of wanting to help in a bigger picture led me to the pathway of seeking out more knowledge to support and push the change that we all know must occur in education.  As I reflect on the articles, I found the voice in my head saying yes, I am not alone. Greene points out that teachers must “come together in such a way that each one feels a responsibility for naming the humane and the desirable and moving together to attain them.”  Agreed, but how do we gain the sense of urgency that others want to move together?  I struggle pushing change with only a small pod of educators supporting my efforts; how do we gain more leverage?  Reading more of Greene’s words spoke to me “feeling in touch with something larger than awakened a visionary power.  But, feeling the changes in themselves and those around,…”  The words she spoke describe that internal feeling I have had; I want to help others learn and I want to cause the change so many of us long for.  Diving into Elena Aguilar’s article Onward I found the connections to Greene and my own values.  Arguilar states “The opportunity for resilience originates in how we make sense of the things that happen, because interpretation dictates actions.”  We need to stop and interpret change.  Welcome the voices even if they are not the same as our own, because together as we plan for change, we are resilient together.  As this resonates, she states “Change is a given in life, how you respond is within your control.”  It is in educators’ control to better our climate; for ourselves and for our students.  We need to return to our efficacy and develop more skills of resiliency.  We start the change with ourselves that will boost our change in our organization.  Under the framework of the 3 conversations, we must have for transformation it provides us with the start points.  Risky conversations but needed.  Individuals can follow the resiliency framework together to increase our abilities to manage the stressors we face.  Because who we are, what we do, how we do it and where this occurs matter toward the learned habits of resiliency.  We are together stronger with this movement to making a more desirable, understandable, and kind world around us.

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A) My work life as a former teacher and now a research student on culturally responsive pedagogy can be paralleled to Maya Angelou’s poem- “I know why the caged bird sings.”
A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

As an African American, the author experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination, which she often hints at in her writing. Like her, many students from diverse contexts that never experienced individualized, independent, and self-directed learning struggle with analytical tasks or using their minds to process information effectively. Such students feel oppressed by the curriculum, marginalized, academically abandoned, and invisible in the class.

The theme of the poem deals with freedom and oppression. The title ‘caged bird’ indicates the image of restrictions. These lines culled from the poem call out the dominant-culture context in which all teaching and learning is situated.

It speaks of the underprivileged African American communities and the other minorities trapped inside the cage. All it could do is to open its throat and sing aloud fearfully of freedom never experienced, but it knows that there is a better life outside the cage and does not stop from desperately wanting freedom. A bird nature is meant to fly, which indicates freedom. This free bird represents the privileged ‘white’ American community with the freedom to fly anywhere without restrictions. The world belonged to them, and they do whatever they like. The caged bird is denied dreams, breeze, and fat worms, which represents hope and opportunities.

B) I grew up under my parents, who valued education. I was when missionary schools were withdrawn from their original handlers and subsequently run by the government. There was a noticeable fall in the standard of education in my local, and I was a victim of incessant school transfers as many Parents who valued education resorted to withdrawing their children from government-run schools. I experienced the menace of repeated withdrawal and subsequent transfer to a private school with the continued struggle to close the achievement gap. I struggled with analytical tasks till I graduated from college. I became challenged to contribute my quota towards educational leadership and turned to teach. However, as an elementary school teacher, I witnessed that the pedagogy is not designed for individualized learning as it works for the west, the reason students struggle with analytical reading. As a classroom teacher, I have witnessed many school children experience difficulty calming and focusing their minds during teaching and learning periods. More often, they are prone to misbehave, interrupt teaching schedules when they act out. Such children are frequently tardy and have higher rates of suspension and other disciplinary measures. Over time, I discovered that tardiness causes students to feel disconnected from school, leading to further behavior problems and dropouts. Meeting such vulnerable children’s needs inspired me to be informed and armed with the necessary skills and resources to serve these children in school. In quest of answers for these disparities, I turned to research further, looking to culturally responsive teaching as a way to close achievement gaps.

C) Seeking how we can transform our schools, Greene expresses the desire for building communities that democratically serve a responsive instructional leadership “where there can be dialogue and exchanges of all kinds in which persons can speak in their idioms, avoiding the formulaic, the artificial, and the ‘sound-bite.” However, school leaders must engage in mindful conversations on how cultivating resilience can transform our schools between this intention and its execution. Three conversations that focus on “Individual resilience, Organizational conditions, and systemic conditions” so that we can build and strengthen the kinds of communities in which we can thrive, where we can engage in professional development that allows us to reflect on worn own biases, and where we can observe and learn from each other.

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I would parallel my work life to the song The Show Must Go On by Queen. This year, my district decided to implement co-teaching at the high school. I had been one of two special education teachers chosen to pilot this program last year. At this time, I was paired with two English teachers, one who taught sophomores and one who taught freshmen. The sophomore English teacher and I got along immediately; he was very willing to utilize my input and plan with me to best accommodate our students. The freshman English teacher, however, was extremely rigid and unwilling to relinquish any sort of control in the classroom. Further, she held the belief that the level of English we were teaching was “already modified” and therefore the students didn’t really need the special ed support. She graded students, many of them with special education accommodations and modifications, at an extremely high standard, above their level. At the end of the year, the administration told all of the special education teachers that we would be paired with one co-teacher for the following year. Both the sophomore English teacher and I advocated to continue our partnership, as we had cultivated a positive rapport and working relationship. In addition, we created many curricular materials together, modified to meet the needs of our students. However, our house administrator decided that it was more beneficial for the students if I supported the freshman English teacher, and had me continue that partnership going into the current school year. This was extremely frustrating for many reasons. First, all of our professional development surrounding co-teaching stressed the importance of the working relationship between the teachers to the success of the model. However, when it came time to decide partnerships, this factor was ignored. I was placed in a classroom to help a specific teacher get better at her craft, as opposed to effectively helping students. This year, I advocate as much as I can for our freshmen students. I remind myself that I am in that classroom to support them, and “the show must go on.” The lyrics sung by Queen, “The show must go on/ The show must go on, yeah/ Inside my heart is breaking/ My makeup may be flaking/ But my smile, still, stays on” perfectly portray how I feel having to co-teach in this partnership. Although I know that professionally, I do not benefit from this partnership, I have to do the best I can to support the students and ensure that their needs are being met.

I have been an educator for the past eleven years, but have been working with children ever since I was 14-years-old. I began as a martial arts instructor, and found that I really enjoyed teaching. I worked with students ranging in age from as young as 4-years-old to adults. As I approached college, I knew that I wanted to continue teaching and decided to study childhood education. The program at NYU was a dual one; childhood and special education. Prior to entering college, I hadn’t really given much thought to special ed. I envisioned teaching in a general education setting at the elementary level. However, as I began my program, more specifically student teaching, I was surprised to find that I preferred working in small groups with students with disabilities. Once I decided to work in special education, I never looked back. I truly enjoy helping this population and serving as an advocate for them.

Greene’s essential message in this section is to educate in such a way that brings about a shared community. Greene writes, “the creation of communities in classrooms may be one of the most difficult and yet the most essential undertakings in the schools of the future” (273). She further explains Alfred Schütz’s idea of a “common vivid present” and “we-relation”. This is when people communicate in such a way, that through their communication, they feel as though they are undergoing a collective experience. In reaching a common vivid present, people are able to grow together. If educators can facilitate the creation of a successful classroom community, then students can work together toward shared growth. Greene’s ideas connect with Aguilar’s Introduction to “Cultivating Emotional Resilience” in the idea of building a resilient community, in which all students feel a sense of belonging. Aguilar states, “We must cultivate resilience so that all children feel that they belong to a resilient community, so that all children graduate and are eligible for the college or career of their choice, and so that all children have an expansive tool set to contribute to our society” (Aguilar 4). The importance of community is emphasized in both readings, to lead students to success. In addition, Aguilar discusses three conversations we must engage in to consider how cultivating resilience can transform schools: (1) individual resilience, (2) organizational conditions, and (3) systemic conditions. Once individual resilience is boosted, then teachers will have more energy to address organizational and systemic conditions, which overall builds and strengthens communities.

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Choosing one song that parallels my work life has been an extremely difficult task to do.  Music is something that I find to be of great power, which is something that I have always been fascinated by.  I will try my best to briefly explain, because believe me, I could go on a rant about the power of music, and we would be here all day.  When you think of your favorite song, in an instant the brain can recall every word, every note.  Music holds a heavy influence over our emotions as well; just by hearing the very first beat of a song, especially one that is meaningful to you, it can instantly draw your memory to the time and even place you first heard a song, it can alter your mood, it can overwhelm you, but also it can empower you.  So, instead of choosing one song, I chose this- the power that music holds, especially when driving to, or home from work and how these moments with music parallel to my work life.  I use music as a way to prepare for and decompress from work, not one song in particular, but just simply listening to music and allowing myself to be present in the moment.  This helps me to clear my mind, let go of the stressors of the day before, and reset before stepping into the classroom to take on the new day.  Listening to music after a stressful day (ok, so everyday…), is just as important for me.  I’m not sure if this is true for others, but I can’t count the number of times I have jumped in my car at the end of a long, stressful day and turned up the volume of the radio only to hear a song that is perfectly fitting for the mood.  Often times, it’s a song that mimics the way I’m feeling when at the end of the day (good or bad), and really listening to and allowing the music to take over (while still focusing on the road) is something I need to decompress from the day.  Doing so helps me to process conversations, or other scenarios that happened throughout the day and put them behind, or think of a way to move forward if needed.  In listening to music not only does it help me to decompress, but also to re-center, and let go of what I cannot control before walking in the front door.  Letting go, allows me to be present in my personal life, whether I’m with my family or friends, or even my many, many pets, I am then able to be present with them and with myself and adjust my focus to where it matters.  This is an important work-life balance and boundary for me to keep, and in doing so I am able to receive the self-care that I need in order to be my best self in the classroom- Let go and reset before starting again. I would not be able to do this alone, and music has played a huge role in my healing and strengthening as a professional.

From even before I could remember, I had a calling to teach.  My parents have several home videos of me at a young age gathering up all my stuffed animals and singing or talking to them while I sat on a stool in front of the silent and fluffy group.  As I got older, school was a favorite game among my first friends, and one that was more forcibly played with my younger siblings as I “taught” them the same songs and lectures I shared with my stuffed animals.  In high school, I landed my first job, when I turned 16, in a daycare program as an afternoon support staff.  This is where I really started to fell my desire to teach and wanted to pursue an education degree.  It was difficult for me to decide on a subject area or grade level that I wanted to focus my studies on when I reached college, since the school didn’t offer a degree in early education at the time.  I enjoyed the core education classes that I was taking, but really had a hard time accepting the concept of the public education system (state testing, etc.).  I also wasn’t ready to let go of the idea of working in early education, and I soon found an extraordinary love for the study of the mind.  I ended up receiving a BA in Psychology, with a focus on child and adolescent development, and the psychology of learning and abnormal behaviors.  On campus there was a phenomenal early education program where I worked and received my first experiences with the idea of intentional practice and social-emotional learning.  It was this focus on the individual child and working with the child, at their level of development, that I began to create a vision for where I saw myself as a professional.  I had always known that I wanted to be an educator, and that I wanted to work with young children, but I also knew that I wanted to do more than just teach or work for the common corporate-style childcare that we all know.  I ended up working as a preschool teacher for many years, and worked my way up to the assistant director of a therapeutic childcare program where we focused we were highly trained in trauma informed practices.  It was in this position I feel that I reached where I wanted to be as a professional, and being part of a program that strives for success in the community’s most vulnerable population.  It took a long time to find what I was looking for out of my career, but I feel that with my experience and with the knowledge that I will gain from this program, I am on the right track to the career I imagined I would have.

In Green’s article Imagining futures, she states that the ‘basics’ of education are fading out and are no longer seen as life skills.  What is more important and relevant for the future of public education, is turning to the community and developing curriculum and school atmosphere that supports what is happening in the community and encouraging its’ members to join together to create a “visionary power”.  This connects to Agulair’s introduction to Cultivating Emotional Resilience, in the way we first must recognize that the systems that are currently in place within school districts, are currently setting teachers up for failure.  These are practices that should start to fade out of the education system in an effort to support, and keep, good educators in the field.  Focusing on building resilience in educators and examining what measures need to be met in order to create a better environment for teachers/educators to work in.  When we make these adjustments, we are able to be more present in the classroom, make better connections with our students, and maintain a better professional relationship in a supportive work environment.

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“Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.” -Ron Swanson, Parks + Recreation

1. As soon as I read the first question I thought of Ron Swanson in Parks + Recreation. The quote that stands out most vividly: “Never half-ass two things, whole ass one thing.” I am a person who commits fully, almost too often. I am hungry to learn, hungry to grow, and hungry to find my purpose in the big world of education. I believe Ron Swanson personifies my inner desire to excel at one thing that sets me apart from the rest. One of the tenants in my classroom is work smarter not harder (even with second graders). I take most of this from my late father who passed away in July of 2021. The plot would be, how can I challenge myself consistently to go beyond the call of duty. Eventually, I realize that I need to look within and be quiet and stop looking for validation from outside sources and “whole-ass” one thing.

2. I can still recite the my elementary school mission: “Kaler School, caring kids, learning for life.” That school had such a tremendous impact on me throughout more than just K-5. I was in the 4th grade and for the third time the city and the school board were considering shutting down my little neighborhood school. I remember feeling so angry. Why would they want to take away this gorgeous, historic building with the world’s greatest teachers? I can remember the school board and others citing low test scores and academic achievement. Again, as a fourth grader. I can remember how personally I took it. So much so that I asked my dad if I could attend the school board meeting with him. So we went. I remember standing in line to speak at the podium to address the school board. As I approached the microphone my voice was cracking. I was shaking and crying but through my tears I told the school board that our school was more than just test scores and went on to implore they spend time in our building and with our amazing teachers. I knew from a very young age the value of education and I needed to be a part of that.

3. Resilience is the main theme for both pieces. We must begin with teacher resilience and readiness before we can expect or teach this to our students. According to the author’s three conversations need to happen: n “Individual resilience, Organizational conditions, and systemic conditions”. In turn professional development and conversations should reflect those three conversations. This work must always come back to a kid-centered focus.

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If I had to parallel my work life to a song it would be “Little Birds” by Bob Marley.

Don't worry about a thing,

Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

Don't worry about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

Rise up this mornin',

Smiled with the risin' sun,

Three little birds

Pitch by my doorstep

Singin' sweet songs

Of melodies pure and true,

Sayin' "This is my message to you"

The song sends a message of positivity and reassurance that “everything is gonna be alright” I think of my son, the baby I am carrying and my students as the three little birds mentioned in the song because of their constant beautiful presence in my life and the gentle reminded of the beautiful things I have in my life. Sure our jobs have challenging moments and I’d be lying if I said that everything is perfect, however, what happens in my classroom with my students, and the beautiful family I have at home remind me every day that I matter and that what I do matters too. I choose every single day to focus on that, and it has helped me so much in the last few years.

What called me to become a teacher is the love I have for children. I’ve always had an abundance of empathy and sympathy for everyone in my life which till today I believe are the most important qualities in a teacher. I used to work in the corporate world, in a cubicle, and in my mid-twenties I decided I could not do it anymore. Initially, I went to school for business, but my mind continued to wander into the education field. Once I was accepted into the education program I never looked back. I decided to also major in Spanish being that I am Latina, and bilingual. I can’t thank myself enough for making the decision to pursue a college in education and become a Spanish teacher. Sure there are the downfalls and moments when I don’t know how I will continue, but I think of my family and students and that is truly what keeps me going every day.

Greene highlights how a community comes together for a common purpose and creating a supportive positive community in a classroom. Aguilar mentions coming together as a community and the resilience of educators and students. Both Greene and  Aguilar are shedding light on the importance of using resilience and the ability to come together as the foundation of our working environment. My hope is that this is something that is cultivated in the buildings I work in and throughout our nation to prevent things such as teacher burnout and destructive environments for both teachers and students.