Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature's law is wrong it

learned to walk without having feet.

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,

it learned to breathe fresh air.

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

when no one else ever cared.

Encounters by F.S. Yousaf

Every passing year

you look back and tell yourself

that you will not be

as naive as you used to be.

but those promises never stick,

as new challenges arrive.

Thrusting you onto paths

you have never taken,

testing parts of yourself

that you have never noticed.

I am torn between choosing both of the poems above. I am a Black woman who has taught for eleven years in a predominantly white space. In connection to The Rose That Grew From Concrete, I’ve felt that I’ve, in a way, ‘beaten the odds.’ I’m only one of two black educators in my building. There hasn’t been much support for educators of color in my building and in my district. Encounters also speaks deeply to me. My work life and my pursuit of my administrative degree after having had my son in 2021 has definitely tested parts of me I hadn’t noticed. I’ve grown in ways I didn’t expect and I am glad for that. 

2. It was my 7th grade writing teacher Mrs. Daley who inspired me to become a teacher. It was the way she cultivated community in her room; her connections to her students; her relation of the curriculum to real life challenges. I wanted to make students feel the way I felt when I was in her classroom. I wanted to make students feel seen for who they are and feel connected to a community of learners who all wanted the best for each other and wanted to grow as writers and thinkers. I still have a picture of Mrs. Daley and me hanging in my classroom to this day - she continues to inspire me! 

3. Greene’s essential message is that the work of educators goes beyond the curriculum being taught in the classroom and the associated assessments that are used as a litmus test to gather student data around whether or not students retained curricular information. Instead, it’s about the development of students as multi-faceted human beings. It’s about cultivating and connecting to the community, too. Greene references Dewey’s (1954) concept of an articulate public in this section, and that democracy should be viewed as a community in the making. Similarly, in Aguilar’s introduction, she emphasizes that educators should be conscious of making choices in the moment between stimulus and response to cultivate our own resilience and in turn, this deliberate and consistent action will positively affect the community you’re creating in your classroom / building / district. It will also help nurture the relationships you are creating with students. This cultivation of resilience is the ground zero of modeling resiliency skills that go beyond basic educational skills in the curriculum. It provides the opportunity to model for students how to develop themselves within a community of learners. Connecting these two readings shows me that building resilience is an integral cornerstone to developing the whole person.

1. While I felt initially drawn to select a poem for my response, I ultimately settled on Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten". Music for me is like a voyage in time, to a different place, fueled by emotions. I was drawn to highlight this song first because of its naturally upbeat tempo. Hearing it always puts a smile on my face (and in today's world, a smile is always good). When you peel back the catchy tune and the upbeat tempo, you are left with an incredible message from the songwriter. The blank page, a metaphor for a new beginning. I always tell my students that “today is a new day,” and encourage them to make it count. This song encourages students to see their education and their lives as an open opportunity. They are the authors of their own stories, and past mistakes or challenges don't define their future. It promotes actively engaging in the writing of their unique stories, urging students to take ownership of their learning and their lives. "Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in.” Ultimately, this song demonstrates how every day is a chance to start fresh, and you have the power to define your own future.

2. I am not sure why I became a teacher. For as long as I can remember, it was my dream. I grew up in a small town, where just like on “Cheers”, everybody knows your name. The teachers in the town had been fixtures within the school for what felt like decades. I had a second-grade teacher who fostered social-emotional learning in her classroom way before articles were published and studies were done to show the positive effects. She made me feel seen and heard, and therefore safe to take academic risks. I had a geography teacher in middle school who made me dream of exploring far-off countries with the brilliant projects he assigned. I had a science teacher in high school who made thinking and inquiry cool. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I had a math teacher in middle school who felt that challenging math classes were not for girls. I had an ELA teacher who took the most beautiful works of literature and made them die in the monotony of his classroom. So, maybe my experience shaped my understanding of the power of educators and education. I knew that I wanted to create positive memories for students, to open their minds to a world of possibilities, and to believe that the sky is the limit.

3. After reading both authors, I can’t help but recognize the connections and parallels between teacher burnout and student dropout. As Greene suggests, classrooms must embrace the teaching of content as a tool that will help “bring about change in their own lives or in the lives of their families, or in their communities”. This connects to the notion presented by Aguilar that “we can cultivate resilience through deep understanding of these dimensions of who we are, which can also help us understand where we can influence or even change aspects of ourselves that we consider fixed.” As educators, focusing on self-care, building resilience, and keenly aware of “burnout”, we must also consider this same set of conditions for our students.

2. When I think about why I went into education, I always come back to the idea of possibility. Of what can emerge when someone believes in you, even when life feels uncertain. As a student from a set of marginalized communities, I know firsthand what it feels like to have circumstances that could have easily defined me. Yet, not once did any of my teachers tell me that I was incapable because of where I came from or what I was going through. The teachers of my youth are the reason I am who I am today. They saw promise in me, challenged me to rise to my potential, and refused to accept anything less, no matter how difficult my family situation was. Their belief in me was transformative, and it planted in me a lifelong desire to do the same for others. Maxine Greene’s reminder that “imagination summons up visions of a better state of things” perfectly captures that calling (272). I entered this profession to create those “better states”, to help students imagine and step into versions of themselves that they may not yet see. Teaching middle school Spanish allows me to do that in a very special way. As a world language teacher, I have the privilege of introducing students to linguistic and cultural diversity, helping them see beyond themselves and connect with the world through empathy and curiosity. In my classroom, we explore what it means to be our most authentic selves while honoring the differences and lived experiences of others. For me, teaching is both a gift and a responsibility, a chance to pour into young people, mentor them, and help them find their voice. Greene’s belief that “the creation of communities in classrooms may be one of the most difficult and yet the most essential undertakings” continues to guide my work. The dialogue, the wonder, and the openings she describes are exactly what I hope to cultivate each day (273).

3. Greene’s essential message in this section is that imagination is the foundation for ethical, transformative education. She writes that “imagination summons up visions of a better state of things, an illumination of the deficiencies in existing situations, a connection to the education of feeling, and a part of intelligence” (272). For Greene, imagination allows both teachers and students to “move beyond what is” and envision “what might be,” giving education its moral and human purpose. She emphasizes that schools should be communities where individuals learn to “name the humane and the desirable” and work together to create them. Aguilar’s Onward echoes this in a practical way. She defines resilience as “the ability to weather the storms and recover from setbacks with  greater wisdom and compassion” (2). Like Greene, Aguilar believes that educators must cultivate internal strength and purpose to sustain the emotional and ethical work of teaching. Where Greene calls for imagination as the moral force behind education, Aguilar provides the habits and practices, reflection, awareness, and self-compassion, that help educators keep that vision alive in daily practice.

2.) Growing up, I was surrounded by the quiet power of teaching through my grandparents. Both were teachers, and I was always in awe of how they could effortlessly manage all the grandkids, keeping us engaged, laughing, and learning without ever seeming overwhelmed. Their creativity, sense of fun, and ability to turn any moment into something meaningful made a lasting impression on me. I often thought that their years in the classroom must have been the best training ground for handling life with such grace. What inspired me most, though, was their patience and compassion, not just for us, but for everyone they encountered in their day to day lives.

Alongside their influence, I was also inspired by some truly great teachers I had over the years. One who stands out vividly was my high school history teacher, who also happened to be the athletic director. Not only was he one of the most engaging teachers I ever had, but he had a remarkable ability to build meaningful connections outside of the classroom. He made everyone feel like they belonged, often in the most unexpected ways. I still remember walking down the hallway after a game the night before and hearing him quietly say, “Nice game yesterday, scrapper.” Moments like that stuck with me, they showed me how teachers can impact students’ lives far beyond academics. These experiences together shaped my vision of becoming a teacher who inspires, connects, and makes others feel seen.

3.) Greene talks about how schools should feel like real communities.  A community as we know are places where people feel connected, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves. She believes that when people come together and share ideas, they can imagine new possibilities and make positive changes. Aguilar shares a similar message in Cultivating Emotional Resilience. She says that teachers build strength and resilience through trusting relationships and supportive communities, and not by closing their classroom doors and teaching.  I think one of the most important things that Greene and Aguilar remind us about is that when teachers feel support from their colleagues/admin and they feel genuine connections with the people they work with, they can better support their students and continue to enjoy all the beautiful things that teaching has to offer!

2. I come from a family of educators from my great grandmother, aunts & uncles, grandparents, mother and now me, Although I did not choose education initially in college.  I chose psychology/ rehabilitation counseling which happened to turn into a master's degree in education.  After 20 + years in Rehabilitation Counseling/ Human Services, I changed over to education in 2019 to work in CT public schools.  I am passionate and compelled to work in school fusing my rehabilitation background with School to Career Transition Planning.  I led a state initiative for DORS/ADS called Level Up.  The first of its kind program that provides Transition Services for students with disabilities statewide.  This is my passion.  I am a school counselor, now becoming a school administrator, shaping policy around the student success plan, Self-determination, and helping educators to motivate and engage students in finding their life's work through education. My goal is to have measurable and meaningful impact on student learning, teacher engagement, critical thinking and self-determination through school leadership.   

Greene and Aguilar’s message on the role of public education  merge when Greene says, “Reflectiveness and critical inquiry by children will be increasingly difficult if this particular mode of carelessness in not allayed.”  For this reason there needs to be a “coming together”, (pg. 272).  A renewed vision and coming together. Paired with the arts, aesthetics and cultivating authentic imagination and creativity can lead to meaningful outcomes for students. 

Aguilar advocates for a proactive, strength-based approach to what Greene and Aguilar both agree, that there needs to be sustainable change in education to meet the needs of all students.  Aguilar addresses teacher burnout as a pervasive challenge for educators that can be mitigated through proactive strength-based approach through self-awareness to manage stress and challenges.   

Hi everyone! Many of us are nearing the end of this journey and I wanted to highlight and thank all our colleagues here for their amazing insights, perspectives, and experiences. This course and this assignment have created a platform for me, at exactly the right time in my life – and this week’s discussion feels deeply personal as music (and any Mitch Albom book) have completely been my outlet.

Music is the first thing I turn on in the morning, the evening, in the car, in my classroom, or at any local dive that has touch tunes in the corner. Music “sets the vibe” (as one of my students said today, when they were discouraged with the 16-minute guitar riff by the Allman Brothers during SRBI math stations.

Music has been a huge part of my life and can often be paralleled with significant times in my life. As a lover of all genres, it is often the lyrics, the beats, and the collaborative connections of multiple instruments that make so many songs, astounding (minus this week’s “honorable mention”). Here are a few recommended songs that remind me of the classroom:

Sunday Best - Surfaces

Change - J Cole

Dancing Nancies - Dave Matthews Band

Celebration – Kool and the Gang

2025 Honorable Mention: Doot Doot (6 7) - Skrilla

A far-fetched connection for me can be made as these songs hint at the bittersweet adages of wisdom and the grounding effect of love and nature. Love is what made me a teacher. The love I received from my kindergarten teacher Mrs. M on the first day of school as she wheeled me in with a broken leg, will never be forgotten. I have also been surrounded by so many kind and caring leaders, while also having had to endure much pain as many of my biggest motivators and mentors have passed away far too soon (enter Billy Joel’s, Only the Good Die Young).

However, The Big Four, as I like to call them, continue to be my closest and greatest motivators still in my life today. My mom who worked harder than anyone to give me the opportunities I was afforded, my older brother who taught me the importance of competition and patience, my sister who is also a grade 6 teacher in a middle school who I constantly collaborate and communicate with even though she is 14 years older than I, and lastly, my fiancée! So many changes, challenges, and speed bumps have been hit this year - as I not only decided to attend QU but also buy our 1^st house and now plan to get married in June – an amazing way to celebrate the end of the year!

Meaning, purpose, and connection is so valuable in our field, but the best leaders and colleagues that I have been supported with (at times) have also been resilient, mindful, and remained excellent critical thinkers who reflect on each day (positive AND negative). Both Greene and Aguilar stress the importance of being human – and for me, with all that I currently am juggling, I so very appreciate the timing of this course!

“Compassion for ourselves, as well as for others, helps us deal with the interpersonal challenges we face on a daily basis. Perspective allows us to recognize the complexity of a situation. Perspective allows us to empathize with others, see the long view, extricate ourselves from the drama of a moment, and identify a wider range of responses to an event. (2)” – Aguilar, 2018

2. I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in a family of educators, especially watching my mom in the classroom, teaching just came naturally. As a kid, I’d play “school” with my sister by printing worksheets and pretending to be her teacher. Later, I volunteered at my mom’s school and even led mini-lessons with her students. That hands-on experience made it clear: this is what I’m meant to do. I was especially drawn to elementary education because it lets me bring out my creative side and really connect with students. But the real “aha” moment came in high school. I grew up in a small town with very little diversity, and as a Hispanic girl, I never had a teacher who looked like me or shared my culture. That stuck with me.

   I want to be that role model for students, especially in urban districts; someone who understands their background and shows them they’re capable of amazing things. Representation matters, and I wanted to be the teacher who makes students feel seen, valued, and inspired. I always strive to build relationships with my students because I know how powerful they can be.

3. Both articles really highlight how schools need to be more than just places for facts. They should be communities where imagination and emotional resilience are nurtured. The first article shows how schools like El Puente connect students to their communities and give them something meaningful to work toward. The second breaks down emotional resilience, showing it can be built through habits and self-awareness, which helps both teachers and students handle challenges. Together, they suggest that when schools focus on both imagination and resilience, everyone can grow and support each other.

   
   

   
   

2) When I reflect back on my path which led to me working in education, it begins with my parents.  Growing up, my mom was a teacher and my dad was a school psychologist (I should say IS a school psychologist - 52 years in the same district and refuses to retire!!).  I was really not exposed to other careers as a child, and so it sort of felt like the norm that I would wind up in the educational domain in some capacity. The fact that my parents were both off in the summer always felt like a plus to me - and I enjoyed this idea of creating this experience with my own kids.  As I went through high school, I found that I generally enjoyed working with children, and all of my first jobs were in this domain (camp counselor, swim coach, lifeguard) which reinforced that interest.  As I transitioned into college, I began to try and figure out what sort of career working with kids would be most appealing to me.  I began to learn more about working with students with disabilities, and this grabbed my interest.  I did not feel I had a lot of experience with students from this population during my own schooling - which I would classify as positive and enjoyable.  It saddened me that many students did not share the love of school I had, and so began my career in working with students with disabilities as a school psychologist.  I worked in  public, charter, and private schools providing psychological services and conducting evaluations.  That has since evolved into  my current role where I primarily support transition goals and services for students at a small private special education school.  I like the “real world” applications of my current role and appreciate the ability to be able to build a bridge between school and work for students with documented disabilities.

3) Greene emphasizes the importance of empathy, imagination, and viewing teaching as a moral and creative act. The idea of teachers creating environments where students work together toward shared meaningful goals was one that resonated with me. The argument that educators should strive to see students as whole people (with their own emotions and growth abilities) while teachers also need spaces to reflect, imagine possibilities, and connect meaningfully with others. This aligns closely with Aguilar’s message, where she notes the need for educators to promote emotional resilience by developing self-awareness, managing stress, and embracing compassion toward themselves and their students. Both Greene and Aguilar view teaching not just as instructional work but as emotional and at times, moral, labor that requires reflection, empathy, and care.

2. When I was in elementary school, my teacher gave me an old math textbook that we were no longer using. That year, I worked through it and turned that book into a “teacher’s edition.” I answered every question and would teach it to my imaginary classroom. I always had the feeling that I wanted to be a teacher, but severely lacked the confidence and belief that I could do it. I thought I was too quiet and not outgoing enough. As I grew older, I felt myself being overlooked by teachers and was often not encouraged to challenge myself. That eventually changed as I became an upperclassman in high school, a few teachers, coaches and staff members at the school started supporting me and got me out of my comfort zone. I started gaining role models that taught me that I can be successful in whatever path I was after by being myself and I’ve brought that with me through every new obstacle. Even as I wrap up the Quinnipiac 092 program I still catch myself doubting myself, and then remember this is part of the journey. I want my students to feel like they can achieve anything. I am passionate about helping students overcome their struggles and persevere.

3. Greene’s essential message is anchored in the support of creating a community in our schools. She states,” the creation of communities in classrooms may be one of the most difficult and yet most essential undertakings in the schools of the future.” We have to understand that the ‘basics’ we teach in school, like reading, writing and arithmetic are essential building blocks to our future. As my math students ALWAYS ask me, when will I need this in my life? We need to think beyond this individual subject that we may not experience and think about what our knowledge can allow us to do! We could use these skills to engage with our community. These ideas of strengthening our community are related to Aguilar’s Introduction to “Cultivating Emotional Resilience” and how change is a given, but how we respond is within our control. The skills that are not often seen as essential to our knowledge of the world can really help us bring about change in our lives in other ways. It is about the process of using these skills to slow down and examine challenging moments and thinking through it by cultivating new responses.

My initial foray into education was entirely accidental, lacking both purpose and vision. At 21, I was an immature graduate who simply needed a job, so I defaulted to the one avenue readily open to Americans in Spain: teaching English as a foreign language in a private academy. With limited motivation and minimal passion, I lasted less than two years. Seven years later, while studying photography and juggling part-time gigs in educational tourism, I felt overwhelmingly unfulfilled professionally. Everything shifted on one of those tours when I had the fortune of working alongside a passionate teacher who had forged deep, purposeful relationships with her students. The sheer joy they experienced as she inspired them to make better choices and be better people was astonishing. Months later, I made the decision to return to the United States to become a public school teacher, driven by a powerful desire to find a greater sense of purpose and to become an inspiration for children. Reflecting on the past two decades, what is truly remarkable is how this cycle—of finding, losing, and ultimately recapturing that professional purpose and passion—has repeated itself throughout my career.

Aguilar’s introduction reminds us that educators enter the field to positively impact young people. She argues that our power, specifically as teachers, lies in our ability to make choices related to our actions when faced with adversity. Our behaviors are models for our students’ behaviors, and we must show our children that we have power and control over our everyday experiences. These ideas connect well with Greene’s message, where she explains that teachers must create opportunities for students to join together to define what is desirable for all and then work towards it. True education for community involves empowering students to collaboratively use their knowledge to effect real-world change. In essence, both authors believe that we must teach children that they have the power to impact their own reality.

When I was in my twenties I worked in seasonal jobs in the fields of outdoor and environmental education, which I loved, but I found myself wanting more connection with kids. I would spend up to one week with the same kids who were visiting as a class on a field trip, but I felt that I wanted to have more connection with students on an individual level and on a community/classroom level. One of the groups I worked with back then came from a local high school, and I asked the teacher who brought the group if she would reach out to me if she heard of any job openings in her district for someone with teaching experience, but only a bachelor’s degree. Somehow, through that connection and some luck, I got a position as a Remediation Specialist, which was grant-funded, and as long as I showed that I was pursuing my master’s in education, I could keep the position. I enrolled in an elementary education program, and spent the next three years in that role as I worked towards my degree. I like to think that I still have a lot of those experiential education values in me today in my teaching style, where my students can see my love for nature and my efforts to nurture a classroom community.

In this section of Greene’s article she focuses on the importance of cultivating a classroom community: “Teachers must think about what is involved in inventing the kinds of situations where individuals 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” (p. 274). A challenge for teachers is to figure out ways to bring together a group of students who may or may not have much in common, and move them towards common goals. When she uses the word “humane”, it makes me think of what we’re trying to do as teachers – be there for students, teach them not just academics but true social and emotional learning, and as Aguilar points out, that’s what we as teachers need as well. We spend time regularly teaching SEL to our students, but educators need this time too, to reflect on our moods and feelings, to recharge in ways that help us fill out cups to continue to be strong educators. As Aguilar writes, “It’s now time to look at teachers and all the adults working in and with schools through this same lens – as people whose learning needs include the social and emotional realm of existence” (p. 4-5). School staff need that same sense of “humane-ness” - to feel like we can take care of our emotional needs to better serve our students, and to have resilience as stressors come up.

“Yesterday a child came out to wonder

Caught a dragonfly inside a jar

Fearful when the sky was full of thunder

And tearful at the falling of a star

And the seasons they go round and round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return we can only look behind

From where we came

And go round and round and round

In the circle game.”

I chose these lyrics, in combination with a quote by Pablo Picasso that states, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

“The Circle Game” and Pablo Picasso’s quote, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up” both explore the shift from childhoods, rich with imagination, to adulthood, with its many challenges. In Joni Mitchell’s song, the boy begins full of dreams, “riding painted ponies” and imagining endless possibilities. As the years pass, life becomes more structured, and the innocence of creativity begins to fade. The “circle” keeps turning, and he must find new ways to hold onto his sense of wonder. Picasso’s quote shares a similar theme. Children naturally see the world with curiosity and creativity, but as they grow, the weight of routine, rules, and expectations can dull that artistic spirit. Both Mitchell and Picasso suggest that the real challenge of growing up is holding onto the imaginative, playful, and creative spirit we begin with. Together, they remind me, as an artist and teacher, that art is not just about skill and talent, but about preserving the fearlessness and resilience that we were born with, having fun and being creative.

I became an art teacher because I am an artist. I was encouraged by my parents, who fostered my love for creating, exploring and getting messy. My parents encouraged me to find a way to do what I love and create a comfortable adult life for myself and my future family. I pursued art in college, and for a short time considered the professional artist route. My parents, both educators in their respective areas of expertise (my dad is a physician and was a medical school professor - my mother a music teacher who still, at age 75, teaches piano), suggested I minor in education, as a potential safety net. Through student teaching, I learned that I love providing opportunities for children to create and express themselves in unique ways, and I love being part of productive struggle and problem-solving. I have been an art teacher ever since. I am now in my 23rd year as a public school Visual Arts teacher. I do what I love every day and I get to keep imaginations alive as students drift in and out of my classroom from Kindergarten to 5th Grade.

When considering the intersection of Greene and Aguilar’s passages, the importance of reflection and imagination as essential forces for human development and resilience stand out to me. Greene makes the point that imagination fuels purpose and keeps learning alive, giving facts meaning and sparking curiosity, creativity, and hope. Aguilar’s focus on cultivating emotional resilience complements this idea. The ability to pause, reflect, and envision new possibilities for ways to respond to the world help us cope. Art, for example, presents opportunities to make choices, as does a critical moment between stimulus and response. It is in a space of creativity that productive choices are made. Our society continually focuses on data in education. It continually prioritizes subjects like Math, rooted in facts, and it marginalizes the arts, whittling down schedules and resources. Together, both authors suggest that education should not feel like we are all enduring learning/teaching. We should feel that using our imagination and reflecting will help us to find purpose, meaning, and possibility, especially in difficult moments.

The lyrics and quote I chose speak to what we should be working on, as a society/community - feeding the imaginations and creativity of our children, so that we can cope and react in a humanistic way as adults.

1. As a school librarian, I simply had to choose a book for my shared reflection.  Few things describe my thoughts and feelings about my school library better than the following few paragraphs in Katherine Applegate's Wishtree (Chapter 7, pp 23-25):

"I'm not just a tree, by the way.  I'm a home. A community. ...

"... And then there are my hollows.  Tree hollows - holes in a trunk or branch - are not uncommon, especially in trees like me who've been around a while.  

"... Hollows happen for many reasons....

"...Hollows offer protection from the elements.  A secure spot to sleep and to stash your belongings.  They're a safe place.

"...Hollows are proof that something bad can become something good with enough time and care and hope."

These words really capture my heart and the essence of my career, as I was working at Reed Intermediate School in Newtown when the Sandy Hook massacre occurred. Seven of my students lost siblings that day.  I went on to teach every kiddo who was at Sandy Hook School over the next 6 years, along with every other 5th & 6th grader in the district, all of whom were traumatized to some degree. The loss of innocence and need for some sense of safety was central to my practice and my life (I had two children in the schools myself that day, one 4th grader and one 6th grader), and I am proud of the fact that my library became such a "hollow" for my students that the administration actually moved a counselor's office into the space. 

In addition to nurturing the reading lives of my students, my library turned into a place of personal stories and a space for healing.  It was the hardest thing - and most important thing - I've ever done.  In fact, I almost lost myself in the process.

2. My Dad was an English teacher, and the chairman of the ELA department in my high school, and my mom was originally an ELA teacher who became a library media specialist - I guess you could say that becoming a teacher and librarian was almost a requirement!  

That said, I worked in quite a few other fields before getting married and starting my journey in the schools: my first job out of college was marketing and customer service for the Atlanta Braves MLB team; after that, I worked as the human resources administrator for CNN in NYC; then, I spent several years in account management and production for online advertising and website development companies... It was a twisty path, but I always knew that I would end up in a library media center; I bring every work experience with me into the library and classroom, and weave them into my instruction and conversations.

3. I loved these readings... and agree wholeheartedly with Aguilar's statement that "resilience is how we weather the storms in our lives and rebound after something difficult."  I deal with complex PTSD and secondary trauma from 12/14, and thus have spent a great deal of time healing after the tragedy; when a community is rocked by this kind of event, educators must come together and focus on much more than the facts (as Frances Lucerna says on p. 274). 

Hope finally came with action, and once our students and teachers found their voices to "bring about change in their own lives, or in the lives of their families, or in their communities," they too were able to move forward.  Not on, necessarily, but forward.  

In all honesty, I did completely burn out during those 6 years of hearing and holding survivor stories... I took a four-year break and opened a children's bookshop (which closed after covid), but am now back in the schools because I KNOW that kids "need passionate, effective, committed educators..." and that I want to be a school leader that provides those teachers with the resources they need to be resilient and effective themselves.

2. My goal was initially to become a mental health therapist.  That is where my degree was headed.  I felt adamant about it.  Until I began working in a school office and became more involved with the emotional needs of the students.  I gravitated towards their vulnerability for help.  I liked helping them because they genuinely appreciated it.  It changed the protectory of my career and I decided to change my major to School Counseling.  It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I have made many connections with students and have guided them through their academic pathway.  Providing individual and group counseling to support their needs.  I have taken it a step further and launched a LGBTQ group to ensure they also have a voice.  As well as grief and loss, emotional intelligence and anger management.  Green discusses how basic life skills are fading off.  Students need help managing their emotions and deciphering their un-cued thoughts.  This is a life skill because it is something that is apart from them forever.  The ability to navigate through complex situations while having emotional intelligence to conquer it is important.  

3. Greene’s essential message connects to Aguilar’s article because it discusses how the students' broke barriers that were put in place to keep students apart of a system that does not work anymore.  Instead, they created their own community and did things their way that makes sense.  And because they did it differently, and creatively, they flourished; the students and community became involved.  They didn't take the traditional route but created their own route.  This is the resilience Aguilar talks about.  The step between thought and action.  Their desire to move past any barrier that is meant to keep them entangled in a societal norm was removed.

2. Like many, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t come from a family of educators.  My family is primarily in the medical and engineering world so I often felt like the “black sheep” of the family - different in my choices to go into education.  I grew up dancing competitively and started assisting classes and offering training to younger students when I was in middle school.  That, combined with babysitting and eventually working summer camps and daycares when I was in high school, solidified my decision to go down this path.  I picked an undergraduate program that would allow me to be certified in both elementary education and special education upon graduation and for that I’m incredibly grateful for as I quickly fell in love with the world of special education.  I moved to Connecticut in the summer of 2014 and have been working at my current job almost that whole time.  It’s a small outplacement special education school.  We primarily serve students with learning disabilities although our student population has grown more complex in the recent years.  While it certainly has its pros and cons and it isn’t the right work environment for everyone, it has served me well in all my years there.  I’ve seen a fair amount of turnover in my time working there and people often ask why I’ve stayed for so long.  I’m sort of in the mindset that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence.  Right now in education, the grass feels a little brown and crispy pretty much everywhere and as educators, we just need to find the side of the fence that has the right pro/con list for us as we work to improve things for ourselves, our students, and our families all a little bit at a time.  We make our own green patches of grass and what may be my green grassy field, could certainly be a crispy, dry, burnt out field for someone else.   As I settled into my career, I naturally took on leadership roles as a teacher leader - running a team of middle school teachers, leading our summer ESY program, etc.  But I also quickly became burnt out during the wrath of COVID teaching and learning.  I had my daughter in the summer of 2021 and having to go back into the classroom in the fall was brutal - I was ready to quit and actively looking for jobs outside of education with really no direction of where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do.  All of that came to a halt in February of 2022 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, something I never imagined would be part of my life, especially at just turning 32 and having a 7 month old baby to care for.  I was out of work for several months of chemotherapy, surgeries, and endless scans and appointments.  During this time, I found myself wishing for any sense of normalcy in my life, just wanting to go back to work like a normal, boring person.  It all sounds so dramatic, because it was at the time, and I’m back to my usual health now with just routine surveillance scans, but that period of time gave me so much to reflect on and new priorities to focus on.  When I eventually was healthy enough for work, I knew my exhaustion levels wouldn’t allow me to be in the classroom full time, all day long.  I worked with my administration team to sort of come up with this position that allowed me to work with our curriculum, unit planning, assessments, and other things that sorta needed an overhaul but we hadn’t had anyone to put in the time since everyone was busy teaching in the classroom.  This allowed me the flexibility to leave for appointments without having to get sub coverage, sit down at a desk instead of running around the room teaching, etc.  As it turns out, I absolutely LOVED being in this role.  It was something I was passionate about and truly reinvigorated my love for education.  I felt excited, happy, curious, and like I was doing something that would be impactful for the whole school.  I didn’t have the burn out stress I was experiencing in the classroom but was still involved in education and working with staff and students through unit plans, scope and sequence planning, differentiation, assessments, and all sorts of things.  Over the years, this position has evolved as we still work the official title of my job and it’s responsibilities but it led me to enrolling in the 092 program and working towards my admin certification so I could make positions like this a permanent reality in my future, even if I decide to leave my school one day.  So while that cancer journey was absolutely the darkest point, it truly pointed me in this new direction with my career that I’m so grateful for now. 

3. I think the ideas of Greene and Aguilar connect in a multitude of ways, primarily in the idea of community and building a connecting sense of belonging amongst all involved.  I think about the idea of imagination and emotion, how they can and should be cultivated, supported, and applied to help build these communities and connections, working collaboratively towards meaningful goals and ideas.  The sense of human belonging and connection, mattering to another person or a group of people, creates this sense of purpose and allows us all to learn and thrive.  My students, because of the nature of my school setting, come from all across the state as well as western Massachusetts.  They come from schools where they felt less than, insecure about their learning disability, feeling less than confident walking in the doors of this new school, often the only one from their district.  But what they find is a community of like minded individuals, all struggling with learning in some sense, all with different strategies and weaknesses, and all there for the same common purpose - to learn.  It goes back to the Floor is Lava show - the idea of collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, and encouragement.  These are all things that on the show, and in the education setting, can help create such a positive environment where students aren’t afraid to take risks and to learn and where that compassionate and resilient community can thrive.

I chose this poem because I feel that we are in a moment where we need to remember that sometimes a simple kindness is all another person needs. This career is amazing, but it can also be very challenging and isolating. If we have a supportive, kind staff, it makes the work more enjoyable and less overwhelming. You don't always have to do something major to improve someone's day, it can be a small gesture that makes a difference.

I began teaching at 25 after a career change from marketing. Part of me always wanted to go into education, however the majority of the females in my family had chosen the education path and I wanted to venture out on my own. I had a yearly goal setting meeting with my boss who asked me what I was passionate about pursuing in our field and I realized that I truly did not care whether a blue button on the emails we sent out produced more clicks than the green button. I admitted to myself that I wanted to be a teacher, quit my job, audited classes at Bank Street College of Education for a semester and got a job as a 1-1 para. I've never looked back!

Greene's work discusses the importance of imagination in education. She argues that this imagination allows both empathy for others and the ability to view a possible future with more equity. Aguilar emphasizes the importance of equity in education as well through coaching techniques tied to emotional intelligence and empathy. This focus on creating both staff and students that can be empathetic and equitable goes beyond simply teaching facts and individual subjects, and centers more around developing students into well rounded human beings.

When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to smile but have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up,
When he might captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown,

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

1. The poem that I relate to the most when I think of my journey is “Don’t Quit” by Edgar Guest. I actually have it on my office wall for motivation. Throughout my journey, there have been so many times I have questioned myself if I’m doing enough to make the difference my students need. Can I sustain the amount of effort and time it takes to be the teacher they deserve while also being a good wife and mom? There are times when I lean too far to the teacher side, and I let home see the exhausted, overworked mom. Couple that guilt with a year of not seeing the results I want in the student data, and I think, why keep doing this? When I can get myself out of the failure mindset, this poem reminds me that maybe I didn’t see the data, but these students have grown significantly in academics and socially. My kids never doubt that I love them and look at me as a dedicated teacher. I have to keep going. I have to keep finding a balance. 

2. My mother would love to tell the answer to this question, and she often does to her friends. From the time I was young, I would set up all of my dolls and stuffed animals on the downstairs couch and have class. I would teach them any and everything. I vividly remember coming home after school and then reenacting my lessons for them. I taught them all of the “Letter People” songs ( I’m definitely dating myself) and how to write their letters on the chalkboard my parents bought me. No one ever asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up; I was always going to be a teacher. 

As I got older and moved beyond playing school, all of my jobs were with children. I babysat, worked at daycares, and nannied. I loved every minute of being in a setting with children, and I still do. When my education classes finally began in college, there was a shift. It just seemed to make sense. I enjoyed learning, I enjoyed doing the work. This career was where I belonged. 

3. In thinking about the parallels between Green’s essential message and Aguilar's work, I keep going back to the idea that Green explains the need for students to be developed beyond the basics of education. Aguilar recognizes the effect that it can have on teachers. This work of developing our students into seeing beyond the classroom relies on a teacher's ability to see beyond the classroom, their ability to engage students in this thinking, and still develop the stepping-stone skills needed. Teachers must be able to withhold that stamina, and it is not a simple task. Both Greene and Aguilar recognize that this is more than a one-person job. Community and school support systems must be in place to nurture the students and the teachers.

 Education was a requirement.  My parents married as teenagers and had 4 children by the age 22.  Both dropped out of high school to become parents and this created an atmosphere of educational importance. My mother took education very seriously and recognized the  relationship between education and the privilege of choice:  in career, choice in having artistic expression and choice to move up in socioeconomic status.  Education was a value in my home, college was non-negotiable (as my siblings and I are all first generation college graduates).  I also recognized the importance of the teachers in my life who saw beyond my tougher, less polished exterior, and chose to invest in my intelligence and worth anyway.  These teachers helped me to see that I had leadership potential, influence and the ability, imagination and grit to apply it.  

Greene writes about imagination as essential to creating and learning on page 272 of the text,  “There is almost no mention of imagination or of its relation to notions of the possible. No attention is paid to Dewey' s idea of the incompleteness of meanings when not rounded out by the imaginative projection of possibilities.”   The teachers that impacted and influenced me most had the imagination to see beyond my exterior and cultivate and guide what they had the imagination to see within me as possible.  I hope to be that teacher for as many students as possible. 

3. 

The word that comes to mind as a connector to both ideas is “intentional”.  Both philosophers/writers are stating that the root of growth, whether that be emotional or academic or both, is rooted in intentional choices.  Aguilar writes that intentionally choosing a calm and more processed/positive response to the challenging stimuli that teachers are constantly facing (rather than just reacting) is key to staying emotionally healthy. And resilient.  Greene draws attention to the positive impact that intentionally connecting education to real-life experiences has on students' investment in their learning and the role that these students can choose to take in their communities.  Green and Aquilar are both bringing the reader to the conclusion that if you can imagine it, you can create it.  If you can imagine the calm response in advance, you can model it for your students and have less burnout…. If you can imagine creative, real-world, hands-on opportunities for your students, then you can create this with purpose and intention.

2. The special person who pushed and inspired me to become a teacher was my grandfather Max. From a young age, he saw my potential. He would even join in as a ‘student’ when I would play school teacher with my toys and chalkboard. As I grew up he would give me helpful advice and motivated me to look into teaching, as I had compassion and patience towards others; so what more important than to help our youth? My grandfather celebrated when I was accepted into QU and constantly checked in to see how I was doing with my studies. Right after, I decided I wanted to focus on getting my Bachelors in Spanish Language and Literature and Psychology. It was a stressful 4 years but he was there, motivating me to not give up. Once I graduated, I decided to apply to QUs MAT 5-semester program and that’s when I knew I wanted to teach and work in the education system. From there, it all clicked. I wanted to continue studying and become the best teacher I could be; establishing connections, teaching what I knew and learned through my experience(s), and helping and guiding youth to become the best version of themselves. In the MAT program, I knew I wanted to teach secondary education and high school was the place for me. 8 years later, I still find myself comfortable and learning everyday, with my new goal in finishing the Ed. Leadership program. Throughout the years, I’ve had moments when I’ve felt stressed and didn’t know how to proceed, but I’ve also had moments when I’ve felt confident and nothing can bring me down. I have also had a better understanding of burnout and what it does to teachers. I believe that it’s important to find ways to focus and take care of oneself, because even if, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger…”, your mental health and well-being does take  a toll. 

3. Greene’s and Aguilar’s ideas connect in the sense of establishing authentic school communities and connections. A community is a space where diverse people come together and feel connected, supported, and feel that they belong and are part of something greater. Greene mentions that this idea connects in the sense that people begin to imagine new possibilities and initiate a positive change. Now Aguilar applies this to the teaching profession and mentions that resilience is built collectively through trusting and supportive colleagues within the workplace. Nonetheless, both authors make it clear that when teachers feel and experience genuine support from admin and community, they feel less pressure and can actually focus on their passion for teaching.

2. I became a teacher and school counselor because an incredible counselor and Spanish teacher helped me see new possibilities for myself while I was in high school. Greene shows how in order to avoid futility as educators, teachers must have a vision, something worth pursuing to create meaning for themselves and their communities.

   
   

   My vision started with watching my role models create a place of belonging and possibility for students and knowing that I wanted to give that same support to others. I have been a single parent, full-time worker, and full-time student while raising a family, but even in the lowest places, I have clung to the calling of being that for someone. Greene’s passion for educators truly calls to me as she pushes teachers to create community and set their eyes on transformation through imagination and empathy over rote. The initial calling to teaching started with a desire to impact young people’s lives as my educators impacted me. That vision for and through hope has continued as I serve, create, and imagine.

3. Greene’s central message on page 274 is that by fostering imagination, shared purpose, and building a community of support, educators can overcome obstacles and promote growth. Her calls to “come together in the name of something to pursue” and to listen to a range of voices and “create openings for empathy and dialogue” closely parallel Aguilar’s ideas for cultivating emotional resilience.

   
   

   In her introduction to Cultivating Emotional Resilience , Aguilar calls for “intentional reflection,” community building, and habits that help educators “bounce back from stress and thrive.” Greene and Aguilar both see resilience as being as much about collective meaning-making, open communication, and supportive relationships as it is about individual coping skills. Taken together, they suggest that educators can weather challenges and transform their schools by encouraging imagination, purpose, and a sense of belonging to the school community.

2. Having found relative success in all classes involving mathematics, I feared entering into a profession where there was little interaction with others, meeting deadlines and production expectations were necessary to remain employed, and leaving the office after the sun had set would become part of the daily routine. When my friend approached me about tutoring him in his math and economics classes, it was my gateway to sharing my passion for the subject with someone who did not have the same perspective as I. A few months later, I applied for Quinnipiac University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, with the vision of sharing my same passion for mathematics with others. Prior to this experience, however, my high school coach assured me that I would “make a great teacher-coach one day”. Having never had an adult male (I have never met my father) express such promise for my abilities, this moment continued to resonate with me throughout my college years while I navigated with the decision of what I wanted to do with my life. With this seemingly inconsequential statement, my coach provided me with “visions of a better state of things, an illumination of the deficiencies in existing situations” (Greene, p. 272).

3. Greene closes out this section of the article by calling on educators to give their students something to care about, helping them feel “empowered and encouraged to speak for [themselves], perhaps in many voices, within classrooms (and corridors, and school yards) … across spaces where there can be dialogue and exchanges of all kinds” (Greene, p.274). Likewise, Aguilar challenges educators to pinpoint the moment between stimulus and response, as it is during these most crucial moments when teachers are apt to “[achieve] our purpose” (p.2). While Greene seeks to satisfy the purpose of the student, which is to find meaning in their learning (i.e., consider the common question asked by students, ‘why do we need to know this?’) Aguilar’s aim is to remind teachers of the necessity to revisit their own purpose, their own why. If students felt that their learning could be directly applied to something that was inherently important to themselves, and teachers continued to perform their job with the same level of enthusiasm that they did when they entered the classroom, the needs of both groups would be met, leading to happier students and teachers.