Artifact Four: Making it My Own - Professional Responsibility
Coming from a background in leadership development through the Johns Hopkins University Experiential Education department, I have had John Dewey’s Reflective Practitioner Learning Cycle ingrained into every fiber of my being. It is nearly impossible for me to go through any experience or event without asking myself a thousand reflective questions each coupled with a thousand interpretations, a thousand applications, and a thousand ways of engaging differently in the future. I am always asking myself “What is this about?,” “How can I use this in the future?,” “Why is this significant?,” “How can I make this significant?,” “What does this really mean?,” “How will this impact me as a person?.” Every time I do anything I can not help but immediately reflect on and review the experience in my head or through my writing. As I have learned over the past year during my internship, this is one of the most important qualities a teacher can have and one of the keys to furthering growth and success in the profession. I have been able to easily apply my background in experiential education to my experiences as a classroom teacher and this ability has made me able to grow in many ways as well as to approach professional development in a positive and active manner. Throughout my internship I have focused on utilizing personal, peer, mentor, and network reflection and collaboration in order to develop and improve my teaching practice and in turn to enhance the experiences of my students. Through these experiences I have learned a lot of things, but most importantly I have learned how to keep it "about the kids." I owe that to my mentor teacher, my peers, and the opportunities I have had to explore the world of professional education.
Being in the school environment day after day can be tiring, it can take its toll on you. I found that many teachers respond to this anxiety by talking about the students. When I say talking, I do not mean talking. I mean gossiping, complaining, and all other matter of negative spew. My mentor teacher and I actually talk about our kids. We discuss them, we find out what is going on with them, we talk about things we notice, we try to figure out what makes them tick, and through this we figure out together how best to help them out. And we do this every single day. These talks, these are real conversations, and they are how I have come to define what professional responsibility means as a teacher. Due to the nature of my internship, as an interning co-teacher placed in a single classroom with a mentor teacher for an entire school year, I have been there for just about everything. The ups and downs, the ins and outs, the tears, the fights, the laughs, the smiles, and all matter of lessons and content related experiences. Just as importantly, I have been there after all of these things have happened, I have been there during that planning time where we can close the door from student ears and talk about things that happened in class, the good and the bad, in a two way communication street. As I have mentioned previously, I started on my educational path in experiential education in the field and in an environment where instructor and participant feedback discussions were part of every single trip, it was a constant cycle of debriefing and reflecting on the ways to make us better instructors. I have brought this into my work in the classroom with the same diligence. (Evidence: My Co-Teacher and I.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
I like to think of my relationship with my co-teacher as a process of reverse mentoring. We have come to develop a symbiotic relationship where she teaches me and in return I teach her. We both approach things differently and we are comfortable with different things, and we have been able to merge these styles into one place that works for both of us. The most notable example of this is the way in which I have helped her to learn more about how to use technology in the classroom in a way that encourages critical thinking and student collaboration and she has taught me how to implement structure and consistency in the classroom in order for these activities to be successful. This work was for my Action Research Project, a year long research project that involved creating a scaffolded experience for students to improve technology literacy in accordance with the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards and the Common Core Writing Standards through content infused project based learning. Yet, it became a team project over time that we have both become immensely involved in and are presenting at several conferences this spring including the Harvard Graduate School of Education Student Research Conference “Changing Progress: The Science of Education Reform” and the Baltimore City Professional Development Schools Conference. I also shared this research project on behalf of the work of my JHU BSIMAT co-hort with the Baltimore CIty Public Schools Office of Teacher Support and Development. I can not say that this is the only way that we as a team develop ourselves and uphold our responsibilities to our students as professionals, but I can say that the conversations we have are the most important way that we keep ourselves honest, focused, and in touch with the reality of our practice in a way that enables us to make improvements on a daily basis. It is the trust that we share that makes us better, and our students see that, as a unified front. (Evidence: Harvard Graduate Student Research Conference Materials, Harvard Conference Abstract, Research Presentation Board, BCPS Presentation Document.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9h, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h, 10i, 10j, 10k, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
One of the most important aspects of this research project was getting the students involved in their learning experience. A great amount of the data that was collected and analyzed was based on student self-reporting and response surveys. These surveys not only enabled us to identify areas of growth and improvement, but helped us to identify and remediate areas of student deficiencies. Additionally, feedback was constantly obtained from our students through the use of weekly exit tickets that allowed the students to make suggestions and comments about what other types of projects and activities should be done in class using the technology. These desires were incorporated into the class material and notable increases in student enthusiasm and participation were made. This made such an enormous difference in the classroom and without this aspect of the research project it would have been impossible to make so many constructive gains with our students. I firmly believe that too often teachers try to make what they do about them, rather than about their students. It is not about us, it is not about me, it is not my education and my future. I believe that it is my responsibility as the teacher to do everything that I can to make my students invested in their work by giving them a collaborative voice in the process. The student must be given the opportunity and the tools to be the active participant in their education. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
As an individual, and again directly impacted by my incessant inability to leave my pen from the paper for more than a few minutes at a time and the voice of John Dewey spoken through the words of my outdoor leadership mentor, I am constantly writing about teaching and writing about my experiences inside and outside of the classroom and in and outside of my lessons. One of the first things that we had to do in my program was to start a blog and get a Twitter. I took a class titled “The Paperless Classroom” with Shelly Blake-Plock. In this class he taught us how to create and maintain a digital identity and how to communicate and become an active participant in the world of online teachers. He taught us that it was not just about recording for ourselves, but it is about recording for the world and sharing together so that teachers across the world can become a connected group with a voice and with influence. I really took the lessons and tools we learned about in that class to heart and have continuously implemented the technology and social media in my teaching. I have also become an active member of the Digital Harbor Foundation EdTech Link forum and fundraising series and hope to be accepted into their teachers and technologists co-hort in the near future and am an occasional blogger on the Education Technology blog TEACHPAPERLESS. I have also kept up with my blog and my Twitter, constantly posting about my experiences and gaining advice and insight from my Professional Learning Network via Twitter. I can be followed @teachingdaisy and as TeachingDaisies on Blogspot. (Evidence: TEACHPAPERLESS Blog Entry,TeachingDaisies Blog, EdTech Foundation Dinner Pamphlet, Twitter @TeachingDaisy.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
The second thing that we had to do was develop our own lesson plan writing style. I had trouble with this because I tend to write everything out in a detailed narrative form, which I soon found out was not only time consuming, but also difficult for others to understand and follow, especially when they were trying to glean only certain information in a scan of the documents. Thus I had to find something that would work for me and for my observers and other teachers. Thus I developed a lesson plan that has each section segmented off and uses bullet points to describe the highlights of my lessons, while still giving me the space I need to narrate or make notes on what I intend to do. When I first started teaching my lessons I found that I had a hard time shutting them out once I had completed them. Sometimes a few days later I would still be going over something I did trying to figure out and remember what I could have done better or differently. So something had to be added to my lesson plans consistently so that I could come to peace with them. My favorite part about my lesson plan format is that I have a place to write about three things that went well and three things that I could do better next time is the “Teacher Reflection” section which is written after the lesson is completed. By committing to doing this within twenty-four hours of teaching a lesson, I am able to get my thoughts out and create a record for my future use that will improve my teaching and thus the experience of my students. This system works very well for me because it is an adaptation of the experiential education method of “WWGWWBWMMB,” a long standing hard to get all the letters in joke and acronym that stands for “What Went Good What Went Bad What Makes Me Better.” I believe that not only reflecting on teaching and instruction in your head, but creating a written discussion with yourself is essential to improving practice and making practice not only tangible but a part of recorded history. It forces you to make yourself accountable for your work and reminds you that there is always room for improvement. (Evidence: Lesson Plan Format. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9g, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
The practice of continuous reflection and constructive approaches to self-improvement is something that can not only be done during lessons or by yourself. In my co-hort we take advantage of the fact that we are all in this together, at the same place in our careers, with many new and exciting ideas and observations. Because of this, I spend a lot of time conferencing with peers in formal and informal settings. Several of my friends teach the same middle school students as I do, so we spend time observing each others’ video recorded lessons, and in person when we get the chance, to practice making formal observations of teaching practice. After we make these observations, we sit down and have a formal discussion that addresses many different elements of teaching practice and focuses on something that we have been studying in our classes. For example, we have observed each other and recorded the impact of voice and tone with students, the inclusion of movement in lessons, the inclusion of boys and girls in lessons, and the use of specific behavior management techniques as our peers present them during their lessons. These more formal discussions have made it possible for us to really identify our skills and our shortcomings in a way that is a positive opportunity for supportive growth and change. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
In a more informal setting, let’s just say that the JHU BSIMAT co-hort of 2012 has made room B54 of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library it’s personal think tank. This is the place that we come together to do work, design lessons, figure out kids, and make ourselves better through open conversations and collaboration on lesson planning and unit designs. I and many others have spent a multitude of hours over the past year in that room figuring out how to make ourselves better, healthier, smarter, and more creative teachers through the consistent use of our most valuable resource, each other. I know that I would not be here today if I did not have the support of so many other talented educators pushing, helping, pulling, moving, me every step of the way. (Evidence: Reflections on Myself Blog Post.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
Another valuable opportunity that I have had during my internship has been the opportunity to visit many different schools in the Baltimore area to learn about the many different ways of approaching education and of approaching teaching. Not only were these visits interesting experiences but they were also an enlightening way of making me look at my own practice and thoughts about student experience in new ways. At the Science Leadership Academy I learned to think of school as the real world, because it is the real world for our students. At Digital Harbour I learned that even in the best of schools there are still the most mundane of problems and that as a teacher you have to be able to work through those problems for your students. At Kennedy Krieger I got a first hand understanding of what it truly means to provide every possible service for students in need, either in accordance with IEPs or 504 Plans, and I have a better understanding of the types of resources that are out there for students with need for all types of assistance. At Cristo Rey I saw first hand how dedicated and hardworking kids can be and how when the expectation is set for greatness, kids can come up and meet that expectation with success. Between visits to the Garrison Forest School and the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, I learned how essential and powerful a nurturing experience is for young women and how it can make all the difference. Through all of these experiences the thing that was most important was learning first hand how important it is for an education to be tailored to its students. There is no one policy, one procedure, one system that works for all students. Every class and every teacher is different, and when a teacher takes the time to make that system with their students in mind, a greatness can be achieved. (Evidence: Science Leadership Academy Blog Post.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
While working with the Experiential Education program, there was one thing that I always shared with my other instructors. You never really know who you are until you are out there in the field, you don’t know what you will do, you don’t know what you will see, and you don’t know who you will be with until you’re out there, paddle in hand, foot on the trail. You don’t know who you are until it hurts, until it glows, until everything gets clear. And you don’t get to know when that will be. I have come to realize that it is the same being a teacher. You don’t know who you are until you are out in the field, in your classroom, in another school, in a room, watching, listening, learning. You feel the same stretch and strain in both environments. I believe that is what Dewey was really getting at, it is the experience, the sharing, the trading, and all the other things that make you grow. Even more than the environment, it is the people that you do it with. These are things I never could have learned from a book. I had to go out there and see it, to make it my own experience. I believe that as an educator, a teacher, and a student it is my responsibility to not only myself but to my students that I go out into the world to see the changes, so that I can bring them back, and make them our own.
Being in the school environment day after day can be tiring, it can take its toll on you. I found that many teachers respond to this anxiety by talking about the students. When I say talking, I do not mean talking. I mean gossiping, complaining, and all other matter of negative spew. My mentor teacher and I actually talk about our kids. We discuss them, we find out what is going on with them, we talk about things we notice, we try to figure out what makes them tick, and through this we figure out together how best to help them out. And we do this every single day. These talks, these are real conversations, and they are how I have come to define what professional responsibility means as a teacher. Due to the nature of my internship, as an interning co-teacher placed in a single classroom with a mentor teacher for an entire school year, I have been there for just about everything. The ups and downs, the ins and outs, the tears, the fights, the laughs, the smiles, and all matter of lessons and content related experiences. Just as importantly, I have been there after all of these things have happened, I have been there during that planning time where we can close the door from student ears and talk about things that happened in class, the good and the bad, in a two way communication street. As I have mentioned previously, I started on my educational path in experiential education in the field and in an environment where instructor and participant feedback discussions were part of every single trip, it was a constant cycle of debriefing and reflecting on the ways to make us better instructors. I have brought this into my work in the classroom with the same diligence. (Evidence: My Co-Teacher and I.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
I like to think of my relationship with my co-teacher as a process of reverse mentoring. We have come to develop a symbiotic relationship where she teaches me and in return I teach her. We both approach things differently and we are comfortable with different things, and we have been able to merge these styles into one place that works for both of us. The most notable example of this is the way in which I have helped her to learn more about how to use technology in the classroom in a way that encourages critical thinking and student collaboration and she has taught me how to implement structure and consistency in the classroom in order for these activities to be successful. This work was for my Action Research Project, a year long research project that involved creating a scaffolded experience for students to improve technology literacy in accordance with the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards and the Common Core Writing Standards through content infused project based learning. Yet, it became a team project over time that we have both become immensely involved in and are presenting at several conferences this spring including the Harvard Graduate School of Education Student Research Conference “Changing Progress: The Science of Education Reform” and the Baltimore City Professional Development Schools Conference. I also shared this research project on behalf of the work of my JHU BSIMAT co-hort with the Baltimore CIty Public Schools Office of Teacher Support and Development. I can not say that this is the only way that we as a team develop ourselves and uphold our responsibilities to our students as professionals, but I can say that the conversations we have are the most important way that we keep ourselves honest, focused, and in touch with the reality of our practice in a way that enables us to make improvements on a daily basis. It is the trust that we share that makes us better, and our students see that, as a unified front. (Evidence: Harvard Graduate Student Research Conference Materials, Harvard Conference Abstract, Research Presentation Board, BCPS Presentation Document.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9h, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h, 10i, 10j, 10k, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
One of the most important aspects of this research project was getting the students involved in their learning experience. A great amount of the data that was collected and analyzed was based on student self-reporting and response surveys. These surveys not only enabled us to identify areas of growth and improvement, but helped us to identify and remediate areas of student deficiencies. Additionally, feedback was constantly obtained from our students through the use of weekly exit tickets that allowed the students to make suggestions and comments about what other types of projects and activities should be done in class using the technology. These desires were incorporated into the class material and notable increases in student enthusiasm and participation were made. This made such an enormous difference in the classroom and without this aspect of the research project it would have been impossible to make so many constructive gains with our students. I firmly believe that too often teachers try to make what they do about them, rather than about their students. It is not about us, it is not about me, it is not my education and my future. I believe that it is my responsibility as the teacher to do everything that I can to make my students invested in their work by giving them a collaborative voice in the process. The student must be given the opportunity and the tools to be the active participant in their education. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
As an individual, and again directly impacted by my incessant inability to leave my pen from the paper for more than a few minutes at a time and the voice of John Dewey spoken through the words of my outdoor leadership mentor, I am constantly writing about teaching and writing about my experiences inside and outside of the classroom and in and outside of my lessons. One of the first things that we had to do in my program was to start a blog and get a Twitter. I took a class titled “The Paperless Classroom” with Shelly Blake-Plock. In this class he taught us how to create and maintain a digital identity and how to communicate and become an active participant in the world of online teachers. He taught us that it was not just about recording for ourselves, but it is about recording for the world and sharing together so that teachers across the world can become a connected group with a voice and with influence. I really took the lessons and tools we learned about in that class to heart and have continuously implemented the technology and social media in my teaching. I have also become an active member of the Digital Harbor Foundation EdTech Link forum and fundraising series and hope to be accepted into their teachers and technologists co-hort in the near future and am an occasional blogger on the Education Technology blog TEACHPAPERLESS. I have also kept up with my blog and my Twitter, constantly posting about my experiences and gaining advice and insight from my Professional Learning Network via Twitter. I can be followed @teachingdaisy and as TeachingDaisies on Blogspot. (Evidence: TEACHPAPERLESS Blog Entry,TeachingDaisies Blog, EdTech Foundation Dinner Pamphlet, Twitter @TeachingDaisy.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
The second thing that we had to do was develop our own lesson plan writing style. I had trouble with this because I tend to write everything out in a detailed narrative form, which I soon found out was not only time consuming, but also difficult for others to understand and follow, especially when they were trying to glean only certain information in a scan of the documents. Thus I had to find something that would work for me and for my observers and other teachers. Thus I developed a lesson plan that has each section segmented off and uses bullet points to describe the highlights of my lessons, while still giving me the space I need to narrate or make notes on what I intend to do. When I first started teaching my lessons I found that I had a hard time shutting them out once I had completed them. Sometimes a few days later I would still be going over something I did trying to figure out and remember what I could have done better or differently. So something had to be added to my lesson plans consistently so that I could come to peace with them. My favorite part about my lesson plan format is that I have a place to write about three things that went well and three things that I could do better next time is the “Teacher Reflection” section which is written after the lesson is completed. By committing to doing this within twenty-four hours of teaching a lesson, I am able to get my thoughts out and create a record for my future use that will improve my teaching and thus the experience of my students. This system works very well for me because it is an adaptation of the experiential education method of “WWGWWBWMMB,” a long standing hard to get all the letters in joke and acronym that stands for “What Went Good What Went Bad What Makes Me Better.” I believe that not only reflecting on teaching and instruction in your head, but creating a written discussion with yourself is essential to improving practice and making practice not only tangible but a part of recorded history. It forces you to make yourself accountable for your work and reminds you that there is always room for improvement. (Evidence: Lesson Plan Format. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9g, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
The practice of continuous reflection and constructive approaches to self-improvement is something that can not only be done during lessons or by yourself. In my co-hort we take advantage of the fact that we are all in this together, at the same place in our careers, with many new and exciting ideas and observations. Because of this, I spend a lot of time conferencing with peers in formal and informal settings. Several of my friends teach the same middle school students as I do, so we spend time observing each others’ video recorded lessons, and in person when we get the chance, to practice making formal observations of teaching practice. After we make these observations, we sit down and have a formal discussion that addresses many different elements of teaching practice and focuses on something that we have been studying in our classes. For example, we have observed each other and recorded the impact of voice and tone with students, the inclusion of movement in lessons, the inclusion of boys and girls in lessons, and the use of specific behavior management techniques as our peers present them during their lessons. These more formal discussions have made it possible for us to really identify our skills and our shortcomings in a way that is a positive opportunity for supportive growth and change. (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
In a more informal setting, let’s just say that the JHU BSIMAT co-hort of 2012 has made room B54 of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library it’s personal think tank. This is the place that we come together to do work, design lessons, figure out kids, and make ourselves better through open conversations and collaboration on lesson planning and unit designs. I and many others have spent a multitude of hours over the past year in that room figuring out how to make ourselves better, healthier, smarter, and more creative teachers through the consistent use of our most valuable resource, each other. I know that I would not be here today if I did not have the support of so many other talented educators pushing, helping, pulling, moving, me every step of the way. (Evidence: Reflections on Myself Blog Post.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
Another valuable opportunity that I have had during my internship has been the opportunity to visit many different schools in the Baltimore area to learn about the many different ways of approaching education and of approaching teaching. Not only were these visits interesting experiences but they were also an enlightening way of making me look at my own practice and thoughts about student experience in new ways. At the Science Leadership Academy I learned to think of school as the real world, because it is the real world for our students. At Digital Harbour I learned that even in the best of schools there are still the most mundane of problems and that as a teacher you have to be able to work through those problems for your students. At Kennedy Krieger I got a first hand understanding of what it truly means to provide every possible service for students in need, either in accordance with IEPs or 504 Plans, and I have a better understanding of the types of resources that are out there for students with need for all types of assistance. At Cristo Rey I saw first hand how dedicated and hardworking kids can be and how when the expectation is set for greatness, kids can come up and meet that expectation with success. Between visits to the Garrison Forest School and the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, I learned how essential and powerful a nurturing experience is for young women and how it can make all the difference. Through all of these experiences the thing that was most important was learning first hand how important it is for an education to be tailored to its students. There is no one policy, one procedure, one system that works for all students. Every class and every teacher is different, and when a teacher takes the time to make that system with their students in mind, a greatness can be achieved. (Evidence: Science Leadership Academy Blog Post.) (InTASC 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9f, 9i, 9k, 9l, 9m, 9n, 9o, 10a, 10b, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10i, 10j, 10l, 10m, 10n, 10o, 10p, 10q, 10r, 10s, 10t)
While working with the Experiential Education program, there was one thing that I always shared with my other instructors. You never really know who you are until you are out there in the field, you don’t know what you will do, you don’t know what you will see, and you don’t know who you will be with until you’re out there, paddle in hand, foot on the trail. You don’t know who you are until it hurts, until it glows, until everything gets clear. And you don’t get to know when that will be. I have come to realize that it is the same being a teacher. You don’t know who you are until you are out in the field, in your classroom, in another school, in a room, watching, listening, learning. You feel the same stretch and strain in both environments. I believe that is what Dewey was really getting at, it is the experience, the sharing, the trading, and all the other things that make you grow. Even more than the environment, it is the people that you do it with. These are things I never could have learned from a book. I had to go out there and see it, to make it my own experience. I believe that as an educator, a teacher, and a student it is my responsibility to not only myself but to my students that I go out into the world to see the changes, so that I can bring them back, and make them our own.