Every time I started a new semester during my undergrad I wanted to drop out. I was overwhelmed, I wasn’t sure why I was there, I didn’t see the value in my studies, and often I was homesick. For many people these are valid reasons to discontinue their studies or take a break. I was just being an unappreciative baby.
Halfway through my third year I realized how fortunate I was to be in the position I was in. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to attend postsecondary programs. They jumped into trades jobs they hated to provide for their basic needs. They worked hard at their jobs to give me and my brothers an opportunity they never had. And I couldn’t see how lucky I was.
After my mini-epiphany I had more focus. I decided I wanted to be an educator who could help inspire students with little support to carry on with their studies, whether that be at university, college, or in the workforce. I want to work with resilient students to reach their goals. I want to encourage students to attain as much as they possibly can. If they continue on to post-secondary studies, great. If they graduate from high school, great. If they come to class on a day where they struggled to find the strength to do so, great.
It was important for me to do an inquiry project on the socioeconomic inequality in our school systems. I know these are massive issues I cannot single handedly fix, but I am keen on understanding better ways to assist and work with resilient students. I am interested in looking at the unique strengths low SES students have and how we can adopt learning practices to better suit their needs.
This is the first blog I’ve created, and the process has opened many possibilities for using this tool in the English classroom. Personally, blog writing has taught me to take ownership in what I produce for the Internet’s eyes. A blog can also help create an online community for your classroom. Blog writing has been more time consuming than I imagined, but it has been therapeutic. I forgot what it was like to write for myself and in my own voice. It is exciting to represent my research in a less formal environment and in a style that is hopefully more enjoyable to read.
Having an inquiry project to explore these options, and a blog to collect these resources, has been an informative and useful journey, and I hope it can help my fellow teacher candidates as well.
Natalie