A seed is planted. New
to its earthy environment, it runs a risk of not making it to germination, but under the right conditions, this seed will grow
The seed represents the potential for growth – my growth, the growth of my students, and my practice. Like a seed, our growth depends on the environment we are in, each one of us needing unique circumstances to develop, and recognizing that we depend on our environment to provide those circumstances for us.
~ Understand relationships between context, students, and learning ~
Having been a student for almost my whole life, I have experienced many learning contexts. Though each one was similar in that it was in a building, with students and teachers, engaged in activities – each one was vastly different. I have been a part of classrooms that I was eager to get to and some that made me feel sick to even think about. It slowly became evident as a student and then a teacher, how intricately connected each facet of a learning environment really is. What became more evident through the GDE program was how much power we have as teachers to impact that environment. Furthermore, changing the learning environment is not simply about making a physical change, although it could be, but also about changing how we engage with each student. Noddings (2012) highlights the continual cycle that exists between the teacher and the student and the power that it holds in creating a suitable learning environment. Referred to as “the caring relation” it is a continual cycle of assessing the needs of the student and providing that care. They maintain that in order for the caring relation to be sustained, the “carer,” in this case the teacher, would need feedback from the student. This reading was impactful for me because it made me realize how important it is to consult the student in understanding what their needs are and that we don’t always know what is best for a student simply by having good intentions and good ideas. This was exemplified when we were encouraged to take on the 2 x 10 exercise, whereby I would engage in 2 minutes of conversation for ten days with a student who I wanted to get to know better. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the 2 x 10 exercise is how difficult it really was at first. The student I chose to engage with was a student that was in my classroom every single day but was often difficult to approach. In fact, that is why I chose her – because I knew that I needed to. I am so thankful for that experience with her. Those simple conversations provided the foundation that the rest of the year would rely on. I know for a fact that if it wasn’t for that little time that I put in to ask her about herself, to learn about her life, I would never have had the influence to help her through the year. I learned that we cannot assume that we know what is right for a student, we need to include them in informing ourselves about how to make school a place that fosters growth, and most importantly, a place that feels good.
