Empowering Learners as Teachers

A letter of recognition, a professional reflection from a former student, provided a heartwarming prompt for another reflective experience. Beyond trophy, together we celebrated our learning and teaching. It is a pleasure to empower learners as teachers, especially when they serve in-kind. Learning the art of reflective practice is a gift for the soul; using it serves society. Once novice teachers graduate, we hope they continue to learn and grow. We also hope that we have truly incited a passion for learning. It is a profound opportunity to be invited to share in their continued journey and to, yet again, learn from our students. Such moments embody the cycle for teaching and learning. Keywords: learning, reflection, recognition, differentiation, Montessori, novice teacher Empowering Learners as Teachers 2 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 12, Iss. 1 [2015], Art. 14 https://pdxscholar.library. pdx.edu/nwjte/vol12/iss1/14 DOI: 10.15760/nwjte.2015. 12.1. 14 EMPOWERING LEARNERS AS TEACHERS 3 Email opened one autumn morning with a special gift of connection and an opportunity rich with reflection. A heartfelt thank you, from recent alum, Tami, recognizing our work together as learners and teachers became significantly more. Dear Terri, You've been heavy on my mind for the last two years. I have always held your words of wisdom close to me. Your early childhood classes have stuck with me and I thank you so much for everything you've taught. The biggest Takeaway I've had from any of your classes is: "if you're tired from prepping/working until the middle of the night, know that you're doing it to yourself. " You always stressed that the students should take charge of their learning and be heavily involved with every process of an activity, including the preparation. I am now a Montessori teacher and holy smokes! I have fallen deeply in love with Maria Montessori and her theory of learning. I struggled with this until last year, but now I can confidently say that the only work I take home is planning for the next day/week. These kiddos are amazing me every single day with what they can do! I've always looked at the limitations of children: what they can't do. This caused me to frantically over-prep for EVERYthing. You were the first woman to open my eyes to what young children CAN do! I have witnessed 2 and 3 year olds cutting (with real knives) apples, juicing oranges, peeling cucumbers, shine tarnished silver, do dynamic addition with manipulatives, grind coffee, cut out patterns, carefully glue, etc! I've noticed that when a child does something from start to finish they hold their head up higher and walk taller. This sense of accomplishment and pride resounds deep inside of my students. I want to thank you for helping me see in children what I wouldn't have seen on my own. Oh I hope to see you again so I can tell you in person how big of an impression you've made on me. Thank you for everything, T-Walk! Love, Tami _______ 2012 Graduate As I read her message I thought about our time together, about others before her and after, and about the profession we share. I smiled at remembrance and 3 Walker: Empowering Learners as Teachers Published by PDXScholar, 2015 EMPOWERING LEARNERS AS TEACHERS 4 celebrated the recognition with reflective thought. Recognition, accepted humbly, offers time to think and the fodder necessary for doing so. Hubris attached to recognition renders limited depth of understanding. For example, when my son was young, he would purchase trophies from yard sales, because his concept was simply that a trophy was the “prize” and that he was a proud owner, but he did not understand what a trophy represented below its glitz and glamor. Superficially, a trophy signifies accomplishment. It is the “what” and “how” a trophy is earned that is held in esteem, that holds meaning. A trophy becomes a placeholder for nostalgia, an object designed to call up memories of the dedication and hard work that went into a moment of fulfillment. In similar sprit I offer our trophy letter, part-­‐by-­‐part, complete with my own personal reflective comments. Tami is a 2012 graduate of Central Washington University having majored in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She composed and sent a thank you letter to me in the fall of 2014, the beginning of her third year teaching. Her letter is really a reflective summary of her developing perspective as a lightly-seasoned teacher. The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument (Danielson, 2013) highlights reflecting on teaching as a professional responsibility and suggests productive outlets for doing so. “Teachers may reflect on their practice through collegial conversations, journal writing, examining student work, conversations with students, or simply thinking about their teaching” (p 60). Tami has used collegial conversation, through correspondence, to summarize her own thinking about her 4 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 12, Iss. 1 [2015], Art. 14 https://pdxscholar.library. pdx.edu/nwjte/vol12/iss1/14 DOI: 10.15760/nwjte.2015. 12.1. 14 EMPOWERING LEARNERS AS TEACHERS 5 teaching. Reading Tami’s letter spurred my own reflective thoughts as an educator. Sections of her letter are separated and followed with my own reflective comments.