The First 2 Weeks: Mutual Respect & Building Community

This back-to-school season (Fall 2023) was extra memorable as it was my first time starting with my own classes in September. Being able to meet my students on the first day and greet them as their teacher for the whole semester was a great feeling. I walked in with 2 goals and centered all my activities around them: 1) Create an environment of mutual respect & 2) Foster a sense of community.

Establishing mutual respect was important to me to set the tone for the remainder of the semester. Of course respect between the student and teacher is necessary, but I needed the kids to respect each other as well. An environment of thoughtfulness and care is the foundation of a safe and inclusive classroom. I did this through the following :

1) I set the tone by reviewing students “Rights” as well as “Responsibilities”. I like the idea of co-creating classroom norms, however, I felt that something needed to come before this to establish that absolutely no hate, disrespect, or negativity is tolerated in our space.

2) Modelling respect. I spoke (and continue to speak) to my students like I want to be spoken to. Of course we have our laughs but there is a limit. Side note – This is especially important as a younger teacher … the line can be blurred very quickly if we’re not careful. I always remind my students I am their teacher, and not their friend. This helps maintain strong boundaries.

Community building was my other main focus because I wanted each student to feel like they belong. What I did right was learning names and the correct pronunciations. What I forgot was students also need to learn their classmates names. You can’t build community if you do not know the person sitting across from you. Next September (God-willing) we’ll do a few more getting-to-know-your-classmates activities. On Day 2 I used a Google Form to gather basic information about my students so I could have “student profiles”. The questions were about their identity, family environment, likes/dislikes, learning style, etc … This was the only task students completed sitting down. I wanted the rest of the community building to be more active.

While ice-breakers are great, I believe relationships are built through open dialogue. During Week 1 we started with small group discussions and slowly opened it up to larger class discussion. At this point I wasn’t expecting life stories from the kids, but I did want them to feel like they can trust their group members with small details about themselves. These are the keys of relationship building. If they trust you and feel like they can be their authentic self, your lessons will be much smoother. For example, kids won’t hesitate to share an idea because they will know this space is safe and they can share their perspective.

Last but not least, I realized that while dialogue is great, the real magic happens when the students get up and move. A few class favorites ended up being “4 corners”, “Making Lines”, and “Hot Seat”.

“4 corners” — Gave them 4 options (e.g. most influential celebrity). Kids picked an option and moved to that corner. They explained their choice (practice for persuasive writing!). This sparked some heated but respectful debates! Loved how it gave kids a chance to open up.
Making Lines” — Gave prompts such as “create a line based off youngest to oldest without speaking”. This was interesting because I instantly got to see who the “leaders” are that take charge, who the introverts are, who the extroverts are, etc …
“Hot Seat” — I play this all year round, it’s my personal fav. See here for instructions. I learned so much by observing each student.

I look forward to sharing more learnings as the year moves along. Follow along on Instagram for daily updates @love.meets.pedagogy 🙂

What My First LTO Taught Me

There have been 2 milestones in life since the last time I published a post on here – #1) Landed a LTO (long-term occasional) position with my dream school board (Peel DSB) & #2) Graduated from my B.Ed. program as the faculty’s Gold Medalist, with 2 awards, and the honour of being the Gonfalon bearer for the convocation ceremony. (Ahhhhh!! I’ve never expected academic validation. The hard work would’ve been the same, awards or no awards, but man did it feel good. And sometimes, as humans, we need that pat on the back for our consistency during adversity).

It’s been a fantastic few months full of learning and unlearning. The LTO experience was fulfilling, eye-opening, and character building. I had 2 sections of ENG1D (Grade 9 English) and 1 section of ENG3U (Grade 11 English). I had a few takeaways during this experience that all go back to one main idea – students need to feel a connection within the classroom to succeed. I learned the following:

The best thing you can do as a new teacher, especially when stepping in during the middle of the semester is set the tone by establishing clear expectations and routines. Students thrive on routine, therefore, creating a safe space where kids know what to expect, was and still remains a priority for me. Not only does this help with classroom management, but it works to support the academic and social development of all kids. For some children, home is not a place where they see emotional regulation being modelled, therefore, school becomes that place by default. We cannot expect our students to model what they’ve never known. Jody Carrington, author of “Kids These Days” argues, “You cannot teach a kid how to regulate emotions on a whiteboard or in a handout … You can teach them strategies, but you cannot teach them how to regulate emotion unless you show them, unless you guide them through that process”. I couldn’t agree more.
“Soft Starts” are essential to create positive classroom climate and foster community. I was inspired by a former professor and another teacher within the board who emphasized how valuable it can be to ease the students into a lesson. Essentially, the first 5 minutes or so is spent doing an activity to gently stimulate the mind and get kids ready to learn. I used Google Slides to keep my Soft Starts organized, and would project them on the screen as the kids walked into the room. If there were riddles on the board, they would start huddling in their groups to solve them, if it was a video playing I’d notice someone would automatically turn the lights off and close the door. Students said it gave them something to look forward to and helped get their mind ready to learn.
Students (and teachers) need movement. There’s a direct relation with physical movement and memory/retention. My former AT (associate teacher) used to use movement breaks as a classroom management technique and I would immediately see a positive difference in student behaviour. I used some of these with my own classes and it worked wonders. If we, as teachers, sometimes find it difficult to sit through PD sessions, imagine how the kids feel trying to sit through a 75 minute period where they feel zero connection to the material and/or have zero physical movement. Learning is meant to be an active process, not passive. I’ve started incorporating hands-on activities or little games that require the kids to get up. Of course it can’t happen for every lesson, but including it where you can makes the world of a difference.
Connection needs to come before curriculum. If you’re a fellow teacher, you know there are always the unruly ones, the ones who show up late, don’t want to engage, disrupt, etc …. I can’t speak for every teacher but I know I can lose patience at times, and forget that students, like their teachers, have circumstances and situations that go beyond the classroom. When you need to mark 90 Culminating English Essays and have deadlines (which obviously should never be an excuse), it’s easy to jump to conclusions about student behaviour. I thought I was doing everything imaginable to make class engaging (first mistake right here … it’s never about me, and I don’t need to make it about me) and was frustrated when certain kids would act out. Carrington says “You can have the best pedagogical plan on the planet. Rainbows and unicorns can be flying out of your whiteboards, you can have bulletin boards that just reach out and touch people. Your budget for Chromebooks can be huge. You can have all of that stuff and it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the connection with the babies you’re trying to teach. And oh, when you do, the places they’ll go!”. This LTO first hand showed me that some kids have more “real” realities than I could ever imagine, so tread lightly with the babies, hold them accountable, but tread lightly.
Assessment and evaluation as a new teacher requires you to trust and be confident in your professional judgement. I had experience marking during my teaching placements, but it always came with the cushion of knowing the final say was with my AT. During the LTO, I did report card writing for the first time. I learned how to create and keep better observation notes for the learning skills section of report cards. I learned what types of comments are necessary for Ontario standards. I learned why teachers write comments the way they do. I also learned what type of “gradebook” system works for me. Assessment and evaluation needs a whole blog post of its own (or multiple posts for that matter).

These are 5 out of the 100s of learnings that took place during this first LTO. If this is the beginning, I can’t wait to see how much more I pick up on after a full year of teaching. I have immense respect for my mentors and senior colleagues who have been in this profession for so long – some have been at it longer than I’ve been alive. I also now understand why everyone says teachers don’t get paid enough. I get it now. That being said, there’s no other profession I’d rather be in. The world of education and teaching takes everything out of you but puts twice as much back in.

OCT Certified!

On January 5th, 2023 I became a member of The Ontario College of Teachers. Look mom, look dad … we did it!

On this occasion I want to share some moments from my parents’ journey. My mom (a former Punjabi literature professor) and my dad (an engineer) immigrated to Ontario in 2001 to give their kids an equitable education. Below are some pictures of their established careers in Punjab before moving to Canada.

My mom (in the orange) in the 90s at a function for her college. She was the principal at this time.

The pictures above inspire me to strive towards humility and excellence in my field. I look forward to my journey as a certified teacher. I am motivated daily by loved ones, colleagues, and students to create and embody equity within our school system. Let’s do this.

Practicum 3: Reflection on Week 3

In Week 3 I taught the grade 10s about News Media Bias Techniques. To keep this post concise (as can be) and organized, I have separated my learnings and observations into categories.

ON TECH PROBLEMS — On Monday, as I was about to begin my lesson, the school wifi slowed down and I couldn’t access my materials. My AT and I spent a few minutes trying to troubleshoot but no luck. In the meantime, I let students know we were having wifi issues and they should take out their pens/pencils/notebooks while we resolve things. I had a JamBoard activity planned as a Minds On. Instead of waiting for the tech to cooperate, I decided to begin my lesson by asking students do the activity on paper. By the time they finished, the wifi was up and running. After the lesson, my AT (Associate Teacher) commented on how calm I was through that hiccup. I owe this calmness to my last practicum where I taught hybrid (virtual & in person at the same time). I have learned that tech problems happens, and 99% of the time it’s not in your control. Therefore, what point is there in getting worked up over what you can’t control? You adjust the lesson accordingly and move on!

ON DIFFERENTIATION — I gave the students a graphic organizer package to fill out as they learned new Bias Techniques each day. This organizer served 3 purposes: 1) To differentiate learning. When a teacher introduces new information, it can be hard for some students to take effective notes. The organizer helps kids make sense of new information because there are clear headings with “boxes to fill” or “circles to write in”. Sometimes these type of small visual aids makes the biggest difference. 2) To introduce and accustom students to writing by hand again. For the past 2 years most students have been typing their notes. Although tech can be helpful, I still believe hand-writing is the best way to retain information. Since you can’t type out every word you hear, hand-writing forces you to slow down, process what you’ve heard, and write down only the main idea/key takeaways. 3) Lastly, I provided the graphic organizer for the simple reason that it holds students accountable (and keeps me sane! lol). They knew they needed this to continue their notes for the week so they kept it safe in a binder. If I gave the option of writing their own notes, I wouldn’t know if everyone kept everything in one document or misplaced their papers.

ON CHECKING UNDERSTANDING — On Tuesday I noticed that I was going through the lesson without stopping to check for understanding. It didn’t occur to me that head nods don’t always equal knowledge comprehension. My AT suggested pausing after each Bias Technique and asking students to explain in their own words what they learned. This was a very effective method to ensure the students and I were on the same page.

ON VULNERABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY — One of the days I was not doing well emotionally. My amazing AT said there is no pressure to do the lesson for today (what an angel), but I wanted to push through anyway. Last year I learned that transparency goes a long way in the classroom. Therefore, before I started the lesson, I said “I’m having a tough day, but I want to be here to support your learning. I hope you can be patient with me and also support my teaching … “. These few words worked wonders. The kids were less fidgety, chatty, and disruptive. I think it’s the human to human connection, the inherent need to look out for one another.

ON CULTURALLY RELEVANT MATERIAL — When working through the Media Bias Technique examples, I noticed students were eager to share thoughts if the example was more culturally relevant. When I taught the “sensationalism/emotionalism” bias technique, the students did not care for example #1 about Trump, but they were eager to comment on example #2 about the Kardashians & Kanye West. I have realized you can meet curriculum guidelines while being relevant. I don’t need to fear bringing current mainstream media topics into my classroom. In fact, I should use them to my advantage. At the end of the day, if the students understand the content and can make valuable connections, that is all that matters.

ON INCLUSIVITY & ENGAGEMENT — I noticed that the same few students were raising their hands to answer my questions. My AT suggested “game-ifying” participation so I found http://www.wheelofnames.com. On this site you can add all your students’ names to a wheel and spin it. The students seemed excited each time I clicked to “spin the wheel”, and did not hesitate to answer if their name was called. I realized afterwards that most students in the class were not shy, they just didn’t care to put their hand up. This wheel of names allowed me to hear from different voices in the room and create a more inclusive and balanced environment.

I will end this post here. There are so many more learnings that are noted in my personal reflections. For now, I will stop writing and say bye. If you have any thoughts please share them with me in the comment box or via email (shabib49@uwo.ca). I love to hear different perspectives on education and find strategies to improve my own practice. Thank you for reading!

Practicum 3: Week 2 – Indigenous Experiences

This week I taught lessons on Indigenous lived experiences as a lead up to National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday. I was lucky to have done a few lessons on this topic during my last practicum, so I was confident. My Week 2 goals included planning empowering lessons, creating opportunities for active learning, and making content relevant to the lives of the students. My classes are made up of predominantly Punjabi students so I really wanted to make sure they understood the significance of the topic. Sometimes, when humans aren’t able to connect with a topic, it’s because they can’t see the relevance to it in their own lives. Being Punjabi myself, I wanted to teach students that even though these experience didn’t directly impact our community, injustice to one is injustice to all.

On Monday we learned about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the 94 Calls to Action. To ensure each student read and understood the Calls to Action document, I created a scavenger hunt. Since this course is de-streamed, I was prepared for the varied responses to the scavenger hunt. For example, some students were able to quickly finish while others needed some extra time to understand the questions. Also, what worked really well for this lesson was making a personal connection to the content. I spoke to the students about my own family’s feelings about Canada Day: As immigrants to this country, we were always excited to celebrate being Canadian on July 1st. Once my parents started learning about residential schools (specifically about the unmarked graves found in Kamloops), their relationship with this country has become complex. While we are grateful to this country for providing us opportunity, we recognize the injustice done by the Canadian government.

On Wednesday, we worked collaboratively in groups to complete a Reconciliation Jigsaw. See this Instagram post for details. Instead of teaching students methods of reconciliation, I wanted them to discover it themselves. This activity was very successful. Students learned what reconciliation means, why truth-telling is important, and found ways to celebrate and support Indigenous folks around Canada.

On Thursday I taught my very first outdoor lesson. My lovely AT encouraged me to see how teaching would be in a space different from the classroom. We walked out to the outdoor classroom for a lesson on the environment & land acknowledgements. See this Instagram post for details. I taught students what a sincere land acknowledgement consists of and they worked in groups to write their own. It was great to see the different takes on it.

On Friday we did some consolidation work to wrap up the week. I also created my first Kahoot to review some new terms taught this week. I’m still finding ways to integrate more tech into my lessons. I’m not big on tech myself, but I’m aware of the positive impact it can have on learning.

This week, I learned so much about the ins and outs of daily teaching. I’m grateful to my AT for guiding me through my lessons. My work was also shared with the English department as a resource. Little things like this are always a rewarding for a Teacher Candidate. I also introduced “quote of the day” in class but that is for another blog-post. I look forward to next week!

Practicum 3: Week 1 Reflection

I was really excited for the start of my 3rd teaching placement. Something inside of me kept telling me this was going to be a good one. My AT (associate teacher) has been the most kind, generous, and positive role model. From Day 1 she has treated me with respect and compassion. We co-teach, bounce ideas off each other, and have conversations that always help me improve my pedagogy. We have 2 sections of ENG2D (grade 10 de-streamed English) and 1 section of ENG4E (split grades 11 & 12 Workplace Preparation English).

Each practicum I set a goal/theme to guide me through my time. For this Practicum, it’s “make learning active, not passive”. I specifically picked this because I’ve noticed students absorb information very differently than they once used to. My goal is to make students active participants in their own learning. This means less PPTs/Google Slides and more collaborative work, learning circles, and hands-on learning activities.

My Week 1 objectives were active observation, getting to know the students, doing one-on-one’s with students for relationship building, and brainstorming lesson delivery ideas for Week 2. Some of my takeaways from the classroom and around the school are as follows:

Students pick-up on intention. They need to feel supported and valued otherwise it’s easy to lose them. On the flip side, if you’re genuine with them, they usually show you grace and give you their best as well.
Always have a back-up plan if the internet goes down. Can’t rely solely on wifi. Always print some extra copies of the content for the day in case a student is not able to access it through D2L.

Although I wasn’t teaching this week, I introduced a “check-in form” where all students answered a question-of-the-day at the end of each period. I went home, responded to each comment and returned the form back the next day. We did this for the whole week. (See this Instagram Post). The questions were intentional so I would know about different learning styles and preferences. The responses also helped me understand how students feel about education as a whole. Some students wrote little, some shared personal experiences. I was surprised when kids wanted to chat with me about what they wrote before/after class and after-school. I found this exercise to be really effective in fostering trust and comfort between the students and I.

Overall, the first week was absolutely amazing. I can’t finish this post without mentioning how great the entire English department is. They are all kind and were so welcoming. Feeling more blessed than ever. God is good!

What I Learned from “Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom”

Earlier this summer I completed the EdX course “Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom” from Cornell University. EdX is a massive open online course (MOOC) provider created by Harvard and MIT. I feel privileged to have the time and ability to enrol in courses that interest me. This course in specific stood out to me because I’m always looking for ways to grow as an educator for my students. The following are some takeaways from each module of this course:

Module 1: Instructors

Identity development models help us make sense of who we are. Unless we’re actively aware, identity development is for the most part unconscious. The path of our own growth and development is an ongoing process. Knowing our social identity can be helpful in supporting our students in the following ways:

Better connection & relatability, therefore better relationships
Adaptability to social identity of students
Helps create empathy
See students from asset/capacity lens rather than deficit lens
Opportunity to learn across difference and increase your self-awareness

Module 2: Students

Implicit bias is a cognitive process of forming judgements that happen so fast they operate below conscious awareness. They can be based on stereotypes or unexamined assumptions. This can lead to discrimination, creating unfair obstacles allowing for systemic disadvantage. Some strategies to interrupt our implicit bias towards students:

Evaluate students by masking their race/gender/etc… (e.g. Ask them to put their names on the last page of the test). — This idea seemed great to me and it’s a strategy I will be actively using during my next practicum block.
Commit to specific merit criteria (e.g. having a rubric so expectations are clear and fair for all)
Articulate/affirm your highest values before grading. (e.g. “I strive to be equitable and a fair grader”. — Really liked this idea. There is power in saying phrases out loud to affirm your beliefs.

Module 3: Pedagogy

Inclusive teaching is not making things easier or learning easier for some students. Inclusive teaching is everyone being challenged to the same degree because part of learning is being challenged to learn. Essentially, all students feel comfortable to engage with the material in an inclusive classroom.

As a teacher, it’s easy to assume everyone is like you, with a similar nurturing, similar values, similar thought process, etc … Aside from a possible different background, there is an age gap of many years in which thinking has changed, environments may be different, social norms & cultural values may be different. With this in mind, an inclusive environment is also about active listening and learning and being open to learning across diverse perspectives.

Module 4: Curriculum

It’s important to be open to the different perspectives students bring to the table, but also challenge their assumptions and ways of thinking. All academic inquiry is political (this can be argued but I agree with this stance), thus has some sort of filter. It is important to be aware that we all carry implicit bias. We must not be afraid to challenge students to think about where their beliefs/thoughts/ideas come from.

Module 5: Action and Change

Keep an equity focus. Seek to remove the barriers for all by recognizing that not everyone starts from the same place (e.g. visible or non-visible disability, English as a second language, etc…). Create lessons in a way that you don’t have to worry about giving different students different accommodations/modifications because the lesson is already mindful of potential barriers.

Some modules in this course reaffirmed what I already knew, and some showed me new ways to be a better teacher for my students. I am sincerely thankful for professors and faculty members who work hard to put together courses like this.

Tips for Year 1 Teacher Candidates

Whether you are stepping into your Bachelor of Education right after undergrad, or you are returning to academia after a break, a new journey like this is often accompanied by many questions alongside the excitement. The following is a list of 10 tips that can support your first year at Althouse.

Have a strong why. Why have you chosen to enter this profession? Your “why” will remind you of and keep you focused on the bigger picture.
Use an agenda. You will have a lot of courses, and with them will come a lot of deadlines and important dates to remember. I personally used a physical one, but use what works for you.
Find things outside of education to enjoy (e.g. fitness, painting, gardening, etc …). It’s vital to have a life outside of education. You must remain balanced to prevent burnout.
Find like-minded peers and keep them close. These individuals will be your support on tough days and be there to uplift you. It’s important to have friends who are optimistic.
Be professional, but be YOU. The world of education (as I’m also learning) is not about fitting into a mold of the ideal teacher, it is about being authentic so your unique skills and traits can empower students.
Network, network, network. Make the most of opportunities to meet new faces and share contact information. It’s never a bad thing to know people in the board you wish to work at.
Relationships are KEY. Your students may not remember what you taught them, but they will remember the energy you brought into the classroom. Your associate teacher will always look for the kind of relationships you are able to build with your students.
Journal/document your experiences. Your personality and teaching philosophy will evolve as you begin your journey in education. You want to have something to look back on that will serve as a record of your personal and professional growth. It’s also important to document your time in the classroom for legal reasons – you will learn more about this in your Social Foundations course.
Ask questions. Never hesitate to ask for clarification or further explanation. The worst you’ll receive is an “I don’t know”. (Although I have yet to get one of those. Althouse professors are fantastic and always have lots of valuable insight to share). Same goes for practicum, ask your Associate Teacher questions without hesitation.
Enjoy. The year goes by in the blink of an eye. Enjoy Althouse, enjoy being a student, and enjoy the beginning of your teaching journey.

I wish you all the best. Feel free to reach out should you have further questions.

Email: shabib49@uwo.ca
Twitter: MsHabib_S
FB: Shagufi Habib
Instagram: Love.meets.pedagogy

Practicum 2 – Week 1: Learnings and Thoughts

I started my second practicum (how time flies!) at a high school in PDSB. I am so thankful for this opportunity and look forward to the many things I will learn through the next few weeks. This practicum feels different for two reasons: 1) I’ll be in a secondary school setting as opposed to a K-8 school. & 2) I’m going in with some classroom experience this time around. I’ll be with 2 sections of NBE3U (Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Metis and Inuit Voices), and 1 section of ENG2P (Applied English). I was overjoyed when I discovered I was teaching English. I look forward to seeing how the NBE course differs from the regular ENG course.

I spent week one actively observing my AT, the students, and the overall classroom dynamic, while of course scribbling down a lot of notes. These were some of my learnings & observations:

Made the switch from Google Classroom to D2L Brightspace. D2L seemed like a lot on the screen at once, but I’m starting to like the different functions and tools it has. With technology being such an essential part of education today, I am trying to familiarize myself with these different platforms.
One of my biggest concerns regarding IEP’s was not wanting to make a student feel like I’ve singled them out, or made them feel uncomfortable. I learned that IEP accommodations are often built into the lesson plan to support the entire class. For example, I don’t need to give only 2 students repeated instruction, because all students will benefit from hearing things a second, even third time.
Positive affirmations go a long way for students. Not only do they boost student morale, I noticed they also boost engagement.
Teachers need to give students agency, especially within English. Options and choices are essential to making students feel like they are active members of their own learning process. My AT assigned a short story summative in which students had the freedom to pick a text (from a list of options) that stood out to them. Students should feel like they have a voice and ability to learn what feels relevant to them.

During this first week, I was also given the opportunity to sit in on parent-teacher interviews. My AT said that even though I’m still getting to know the students, it would be a great chance to see how interviews are conducted and how to communicate with parents. This was an invaluable experience as seeing the teacher-parent interaction gave me insight into how to approach similar situations in the future. It was not a surprise that the common theme in all of the interviews was parents trying to look out for their kids, and ensure they’re getting a good education.

Marigolds & Walnut Trees

I remember attending the B.Ed orientation in the beginning of this program and one thing stuck out to me – our Dean’s advice to stay close to marigolds and avoid the walnut trees. She said find the marigolds in this program (people who help you, inspire you, and those you feel good around) during class, during practicum, etc. We were advised to be aware of the walnut trees (people who give off toxicity, those who find negatives about other colleagues, peers, and students).

Semester 1 got off to a wonderful start because there was fresh and positive energy within the eager-to-learn year 1 teacher candidates. Post practicum #1 and winter break, the atmosphere and attitudes have changed. This is in part due to pandemic difficulties, switching from virtual to in-person learning, adjusting to new courses, and other personal issues. Now being in semester 2, I understand more of what our Dean meant by findings marigolds. I would argue that nobody intentionally becomes “a walnut tree”, however, it is very easy to get infected by negativity and let it consume you. I feel the difference in my well-being when I’m around peers who have a zest for life and optimistic presence. I like being around these people because the discussions are different, the energy is better, and overall atmosphere is very light and beautiful. I also sometimes find myself around peers where the topic of discussion is nothing other than complaints. I vividly remember going home a few nights ago after being with “a walnut tree” and feeling like I was more tired than usual. It’s astounding how big of a difference company makes.

This reminds me of the many studies done on the effects of speaking to plants positively and negatively. Since the plants are living things, they respond to vibrations. Therefore, depending on what type of energy they receive, they will either grow or wilt away. I’m writing this blog post as a personal reminder to seek out more marigolds and also be a marigold for others. I want others to feel a good and supportive energy from me, and maybe even be inspired to look for more positives.

I still remember the days after I applied to this program. I would pray for an acceptance letter because it’s all I ever wanted for as long as I can remember. Life can be so subtle, and God so delicately opens up doors you once prayed would open. It is true when they say energy goes where attention flows. I hope to teach this to my students this one day. I will tell them that if you make gratitude lists, your mind will always subconsciously look for the good.

Link to article about marigolds and walnut trees: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/