Trauma and Healing Workshop Reflections by Christina Villarreal

It was really great to have the opportunity and space to just think about who I am and who I have become/ want to become!

2021-10-27 21:36:54 UTC

connected. deep. seen. seeing

2021-10-27 21:37:03 UTC

kind of? like, everything i said was true, but i don't know if the things i said "count" or accurately constitute "who i am"

2021-10-27 21:37:09 UTC

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:37:12 UTC

It really got me thinking a lot. It was really deep and scary

2021-10-27 21:37:16 UTC

thoughtful! also I kept thinking about whether I could try this with my students!!!

"who are you" was the hardest to come up with answers for - "who do you pretend to be" was so much harder emotionally. it's wild how my mind knew who i pretend to me so much faster than who i am

2021-10-27 21:37:22 UTC

It helped me dig down and really ask myself what is important to my own identity and who I aspire to be.

kinda sorta yeah not really. was aware that i wasn't sayin everything and i wonder what why i left out and included what i did

2021-10-27 21:37:36 UTC

These questions made me realize how little I know about most people in my life definitely including my students

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:37:37 UTC

I want to say I was, but was i really?

justin_hancock1 — 2021-10-27 21:37:37 UTC

lots of feelings came up that I suppress at school

2021-10-27 21:37:42 UTC

I think so? it's such a big question I'm not sure what honesty around 'who are you' would constitute

2021-10-27 21:37:47 UTC

I was! My partner made me feel very comfortable and I appreciated her very much <3

I was honest, but off task, but maybe in a good way

zoenovak — 2021-10-27 21:37:48 UTC

2021-10-27 21:37:49 UTC

Yes!! In part because my partner and I have known each other for a while and it didn’t feel like talking to a stranger, but someone who knows who I am and who I am seen as!

I felt very nervous at first, but leaned into the vulnerability that my partner showed me. By the end I felt so much deeper of a connection with him.

2021-10-27 21:37:52 UTC

2021-10-27 21:38:05 UTC

I felt very connected to myself and my thoughts and very safe and supported in the space.

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:38:06 UTC

Who do I pretend to be hit hard because it was like I was calling myself out

2021-10-27 21:38:08 UTC

uncomfortable at first but warmed up to my partner with time :)

most certainly definitely without question #2. who do you pretend to be.

2021-10-27 21:38:10 UTC

yes and no. i found myself filtering ideas and making decisions about what to share, in what order, and in what way.

nervous at first! but slowly leaned into it once i got the ball rolling

2021-10-27 21:38:14 UTC

I feel like I was able to be honest, but it really did feel vulnerable.

2021-10-27 21:38:28 UTC

Yes, but with the time constraint it was sometimes difficult to come up with an answer right away. I felt the "who are you" question was the hardest for me, I didn't know how to define myself.

2021-10-27 21:38:34 UTC

i never lied but it felt weird sharing initially. i became more comfortable later on though

Yes!

2021-10-27 21:38:38 UTC

I think I still could have been even more direct, but my partner made me feel safe and seen and appreciated

yes! 100% yes. but only because my partner was able to be so brave and honest!

2021-10-27 21:38:39 UTC

2021-10-27 21:38:43 UTC

"who or what do you pretend to be" was a big gut / reality check, and i also found myself anything relatedly for "who do you want to be" -- the connections between those two questions really did it for me

school for me has always been a place where I perform—especially performing self-assurance or okayness. i want to be real with my students so that they feel like they can be real with me.

2021-10-27 21:38:47 UTC

2021-10-27 21:38:48 UTC

what do u pretend to be

2021-10-27 21:38:49 UTC

I don't think that I did a very good job listening all the time because I was nervous and thinking about what I was going to say

I am grateful to my partner who was able to talk with me so openly and think about things that are hard and uncomfortable. Also, being able to name things we are both going through

zoenovak — 2021-10-27 21:38:51 UTC

#1 by far! the older i get, the less i know who i am!

2021-10-27 21:38:52 UTC

2021-10-27 21:39:06 UTC

Who are you was the hardest to answer, but who you pretend to be was the hardest to actually say. The words to who you are were very hard to come by, but the words to who you pretend to be stung a little more.

justin_hancock1 — 2021-10-27 21:39:09 UTC

Yes, but I felt like the rounds were a bit too short to get past surface responses and into deeper truths

2021-10-27 21:39:10 UTC

#1 Who are you?

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:39:12 UTC

How I think and feel about myself affects the space I create in my classroom

2021-10-27 21:39:20 UTC

Yes! I defintely felt an incredible feeling of trust between myself and my partner; some of my thoughts came pouring out as they came to my mind.

definitely number 2. i had never thought of things in that way/was never actively thinking that i needed to pretend to be something

2021-10-27 21:39:24 UTC

Who do you pretend to be

2021-10-27 21:39:43 UTC

The first two questions were the hardest for sure. The third was way easier to think about and express, though still hit very deep

2021-10-27 21:39:45 UTC

Who do you want to be. I think I found more things that I was pretending to be than actually wanted to be

we teach who we are and we help students be and learn who they are. all these parts of us matter. who we are, who we pretend to be (students' authenticity meters run deep) and of course our aspirations. ours = mine, yours, our colleagues, the young people we teach etc.

2021-10-27 21:39:50 UTC

2021-10-27 21:39:57 UTC

How important it is that your students know you are there to really listen to them and get to know them as people. I'm not sure how exactly to go about that, but I want them to feel that way.

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:40:00 UTC

I think that we should constantly ask ourselves these questions. Reflection is a crucial part of growth

I feel like the "who do you pretend to be" question was hardest, because I had to really think and pull away some layers of things within myself before I was able to see myself more clearly.

2021-10-27 21:40:02 UTC

2021-10-27 21:40:05 UTC

it was really incredible to be able to connect with someone who i care really deeply about!

2021-10-27 21:40:09 UTC

Being mindful that the person I am is not always the person I am pretending to be, so which side of me do I interact as in my school environment?

we make A LOT of small-talk in classrooms, but it's amazing how quickly you can learn so much about someone if you both put in the effort of being vulnerageous

2021-10-27 21:40:11 UTC

huge shoutout to dr. V for such a thoughtful workshop! <3

2021-10-27 21:40:15 UTC

2021-10-27 21:40:16 UTC

Definitely "Who or what do I prentend to be" - I found myself confronted by feelings and thoughts that were stuck in my head and for the first time were being released.

2021-10-27 21:40:35 UTC

Hearing my partners honesty helped me be honest. At least about 95% honest.

I wonder how we might do more of these student-centered learner-centered things at HGSE

zoenovak — 2021-10-27 21:40:40 UTC

2021-10-27 21:40:42 UTC

Vulnerable!! More vulnerable than I have felt in a while I think. Very grateful to my partner for being comfortable with and also showing that same vulnerability.

thankful to Dr. V for facilitating this opportunity to interact with someone deeply with whom I normally wouldn't interact deeply at all

2021-10-27 21:40:58 UTC

2021-10-27 21:40:59 UTC

Also shout out to Dr. V. for organizing this activity!

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:41:00 UTC

Amazing how speaking some things out loud can make you feel a lot better

How can I dive deep with my students?

2021-10-27 21:41:03 UTC

This exercise is something everybody can do, but I do also think it takes a lot of self-awareness and reflection. Those are practices that middle schoolers are honing in on.

2021-10-27 21:41:08 UTC

I think so. I said a lot of stuff. I think most of it was true!

maria22m — 2021-10-27 21:41:17 UTC

DR. V so much love for you always!

Shout out to Dr. V!! And my partner! <3

2021-10-27 21:41:43 UTC

sticky questions

2021-10-27 21:41:51 UTC

this is the part of the workshop that really stuck with me the most! The 2nd question (who or what do you pretend to be) got to the core of some of the uncomfortable feelings I’ve been having in recent weeks. I appreciate the space where we can practice vulnerability and express our support for one another ❤️

performance performance performance performance

2021-10-27 21:42:02 UTC

2021-10-27 21:42:17 UTC

Number 2! I don’t think I’ve thought about that question before!