Leading From The Heart

by Tracy Rosen, teaching & consulting since 1996, blogging about it here since 2007. All views are my own and you should take them with a grain of salt, I do.

Tag: students

Gotta Celebrate

Spring Legs by Christopher DeWolf on Flickr

Yesterday was one of those amazing, magical Montreal springtime days that remind us all why we suffer the cold and snow for 4-6 months of the year. The sun was shining and warm, people were on the streets in short sleeves, some even in shorts. The light stayed with us until almost 8 in the evening. Open, relaxed faces quick to smile were all over the place.

If you don’t think that’s enough cause for celebration I’m going to give you a few more reasons right here and if you don’t think that I had the most celebrationist kinda day then I give up. For real.

In no particular order:

Escape to the Country…

Escaping to the Country :)
I moved one step closer to buying a house in the country as I received news that my financing has been approved! It’s a cute little place on about 27 000 sq ft of land, partially forested. There is even an insulated cabin that I’ll be able to use as a studio for art.

Jacques Demers and the Stanley Cup from USA Today

He shoots, He scores…
Jacques Demers came to speak to some of the students at our school yesterday. His style was loud, brash, and abrupt reminding us all that he was once an NHL hockey coach. He told us of his difficult childhood with father who was either abusive or absent, of his illiteracy, and of making choices. At one point he stopped his speech to dress down some kids who were being disruptive and making immature comments. Some of my students actually applauded when he was done with them.

But that wasn’t the big score. The big score came later, when we returned to class. I feel the emotion rising even now as I remember it. We started to talk about his speech in general when one of my students said she had to get something off of her chest. She started to talk about her own difficult relationship with her father. She continued to talk as tears rolled down her face and mine as well as a few of the other students in our class. She talked about the complex range of emotions that she has been carrying inside herself for so many years and she decided then and there that she needs to speak with him and let him know about what she has been holding on to for so long. Then she took a big breath and said she was done talking. One of the other students gave her a hug and told her she loved her. I was totally bowled over with the sense of community and hope in the room.

Forgiveness and Validation…
Yesterday evening I met with someone I hadn’t seen in, we determined, 6 or 7 years, maybe even longer. We worked together over 15 years ago and the last time we saw each other we went on a few dates. At one point I just didn’t hear from him. These things happen. I’ve met a few people in my life who, from one day to the next, I just don’t hear from again. They disappear. But last night I received an apology for that and it made me feel good about people in general. That we do care about each other and sometimes we even show it when it is least expected. Major props to him for that!

To PhD or not to PhD…

Jose being all direct on me

I totally ignored this tweet when I first saw it, up until now even when I am finally responding to it :) When Jose asked it, I was still in limbo but I’ve since decided not to continue with it and with that decision came so much relief. My life was school (teaching) and school (studying). I love both of them, but I wasn’t doing anything well. It was like a diet of pure protein, with no other nutrients. Eventually my system shut down. To be good I need to have time to paint, knit, make jewelry, hang out with students after school, run with the dog, be with friends, read, watch movies, go for dinner on a moment’s notice. Last year one of my students figured out that I was in Grade 22, based on all of my years of schooling. It’s time for me graduate :)

And if all THAT isn’t enough to cause some celebration…how’s about these fabulous (published) poems/songs by one of my students. Enjoy.

I am Human by Cody Oserakete Thomas
If You Could See Me Now by Cody Oserakete Thomas
Some People by Cody Oserakete Thomas
When You Said You Loved Me by Cody Oserakete Thomas
Mine Forever by Cody Oserakete Thomas

What are you celebrating?

April 3, 2009
Not in our name.

Sometimes re-framing is a demolition job. It can be a lot of hard work. Image found on sheribarbre.blogspot.com. Click to view source.

I.
I try to teach my students to care. To care about each other and that, in order to do so, we need to go outside of ourselves. It is probably one of the more difficult things I try to do, and it isn’t always something I do explicitly. It is in our actions together, it is in hearing their stories when they are arguing or sad or hateful and then re-framing them to see them from the other’s perspective – because there is always an other in these stories.

…She’s such a …. I hate her, him, them. She, he, they think they are hot shit. If he doesn’t stop I’m going to have to get him. She thinks she’s all that just because she…

It is in trying to get them to talk to each other but more importantly to listen to each other. With some of my students, I get the sense that empathy, sharing, and caring are truly foreign to them and so I need to work all that much harder to re-frame their stories and push them toward a caring future.

II.
On January 7, 2009 8 Jewish women occupied the Israeli consulate in Toronto to put pressure on the Canadian Government to withdraw support from Israel. To show their disgust, their outrage at the ongoing assault against the people of Gaza. To show how abhorrent the idea is that Israel’s actions are being done in our name, in the name of Jews.

We are Jewish women, not in our name.
Shame on Canada, shame on Israel.
These are war crimes.
Not in our name.

I found this video, documenting the protest, on the Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) blog.

III.
So why does this video remind me of my students? Or rather, lend me to think about them? My hope is that somehow my constant re-framing of stories will help to lead my students toward a future of questioning, of wondering why things are happening, and of trying to re-frame the stories that don’t sit right with them. I hope to see a student I taught in a video like this one day, trying to re-frame a story that isn’t right.

January 13, 2009
When I was 14…

I showed this video to my class a few weeks ago, we’re looking at poetry, trying to answer the question, What is poetry, anyway? Not the deepest of questions but it is, quite simply, asking them to think about everything that poetry is and could be. We started with free verse.

When I was 14 by Dawn Saylor

The boys were silent about it (they may have been asleep, but still…). The girls were … agitated.

That’s ridiculous.
Is she a prostitute or something?
She must be a prostitute and she is talking about her pimp.
That’s disgusting.

I’m still thinking about their reactions. The phrase she who doth protest too much comes to mind. Could it have hit too close to home? Or is it far off the mark?

What do you think?

On a side note, I just did a google search for ‘girls’ to find an image for this post. The first 13 images that came up were of scantily clad women followed by 1 image of girls in a school uniform, followed by some more of what it started with. Here is what I could find that was…appropriate.

girl sitting on a tree stump by somebox on flickr. Click image for source.

I think I’m going to work the poem back in to a lesson in the near future and see what happens.

December 12, 2008
students students students: the moon is howling

Moon howling tired.

There are night when only the moon is howling and the wolves are silent. ~ George Carlin (image by oceandesetoiles on flickr, click to view source)

At school last night until 5:30, working with students, correcting, planning. Woke at 4:30 to finish correcting history review assignments before class today. Will probably be at work until 5:30 or later again today.

I crave my weekends so I can sleep in and not feel like I need to pack every single second of my spare time with planning and correcting. The time usually allocated to that during the day is spent with students. Yesterday I had 45 minutes in which to do some planning during the day. I spent 35 of it talking with a student, sorting out an issue, during which time I was called the rudest, most disrespectful teacher ever. And was told that she wants to quit school because of me. Nice.

At the end of the day I read a piece of poetry by another student that brought tears to my eyes. Her younger brother is dying. It was a love poem for him.

For the first time ever my weakest student stayed after school and admitted she needs help with her work.

A new student started this week, she confided something personal and scary to me.

It’s so easy to feel tired when holding all of these stories.

November 27, 2008
Honouring their commitment to change

I found out today that the teacher I am replacing for the year has handed in her official resignation. This means that I can possibly stay in my position permanently. HOT. For real! Why is this? Because I feel that I am doing real work here. Real work with kids that shows ~~I am~~ we are making a difference.

The change is significant. It’s my duty to honour it. It’s as beautiful and natural as seeds becoming flower. (click image for source)

We are the 50 students and 4 teachers in our alternative program for Grade 10 and 11 students. It’s long, hard work – today I arrived in my classroom at 7:30am and left it at 7:15 pm. We are in the middle of an exam week and I saw kids who were tired and frustrated sticking it out, staying late to make sure they get it – whether ‘it’ be math, English, History, whatever. These are kids who are in our program because up until they were accepted into it this or last year they spent more time skipping class then attending it. These are kids who used to walk away when things got tough. They’d still like to, I know it because they tell me, but they don’t. They don’t.

Not all of the students I have this year are showing this same commitment, and some may not make it until the end of the year because of this lack of commitment. But those that do, they are going places. Because if they can make such deep and significant personal change as choosing to succeed rather than fail, choosing to tough it out rather than give up, in such a short time, then they can do anything. For Real. And imagine, these are only the seeds.

hmm. It’s time for change all over, isn’t it?

November 4, 2008