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The 2 principles that have the most meaning for me are dignity and forgiveness. While all of the principles are crucial for conversations, it has been my experience that when I am treated with dignity and treat others with dignity, conversations have far more meaning. I am able to listen and learn most effectively when I am fully aware of the dignity of the other(s). It is not always easy for me to take in information from others who I have little in common with. What I have learned on both the personal and professional level is that in recognizing the inherent dignity in others, I am allowing myself to grow, learn and to be closer in community with others.
I also believe that forgiveness is critical! It is difficult and challenging to build relationships/community with others, while harboring and/or holding on to conversations/events, etc. that have been personally and/or professionally hurtful. I have to remind myself at times, that I fully expect God to forgive me for my shortcomings so I should not withhold forgiveness from others. This can be difficult, but necessary to move forward.
I do have to include authenticity in my top 3. I believe that being one’s true self is critical when it comes to relationships and the individual’s sense and value of their self. I believe that people, especially students, know when one is not being authentic which can result in a lack of trust for the other.
The course (including the text, reflections, readings, and recordings) has been helpful as school communities have, and continue to struggle with identity. While engaged in the course content I often found myself wondering about the identity of faculty, staff, parents? I believe that the struggle with student identity, is as times, a reflection of the fact, that adults often aren’t aware of their authentic identity. Identity is not static, and I believe an issue with are challenged with throughout our lives. As a result of the book club, I am more focused on what to be more attentive to when it comes to my students and my community as we journey together to become the people God is calling us to be.
My thanks to all!
Identity is powerful! It denotes who we are, or who we want others to think/know who we are. When I ask my students to share something about who they are – they struggle. They often voice negative aspects of themselves, and rarely one or two will state that they are smart, or a good at something. Identity has, in my opinion, been compartmentalized and sadly schools are good at this. The unique identity of one student may be unacceptable to others. We often don’t know how to handle “identify” if it is outside of the what has often been labeled the “norm”. Students of color, differing ethnic backgrounds, and lifestyles are far too often treated differently by adults in the building. We try to make everyone the same – they are not. I enjoyed the reading and the podcast but I know have more questions and few answers, if any, about how to best understand the complexities of identity. I also keep thinking about teachers – do they have a meaningful understanding of identity?
As for joy – I must share that my students give me joy. I was blessed to have (by default) been asked to teach a Grade 7 Religion class in addition to my 4 sections of Junior year Theology. I loved going to school each and every day! My students, even when they drove me a bit crazy, always made the day. They are bright, high-spirited, anxious, at times they struggle and like me, they want to be loved and accepted for who they are.Hi,
My name is Phyllis Morrison. Like others my identify if multi-faceted. For our purposes here I will share that I identify as both a teacher and a learner. I believe that education (of the whole person) is ongoing and both rewarding and challenging at any age! I spent the last 15 years in administration (principal, head of school, associate head of school) working closely with teachers and other administrators. I decided to return to the classroom (my first love) and I have been so blessed by that decision. Sharing my journey with students on a daily basis has been a true blessing. My students are mainly in the 11th grade but I was fortunate to also teach on section of Grade 7. What I learned this past year is just how much our students struggle with their need to belong. Many are anxious about “who” they are and how others see them. While I saw the same when I first began teacher (a in the 90s), their is, in my observation, a heightened anxiety in our young people today. As a Catholic educator and theology teacher, I get to talk with my students about their dignity, value and beauty as children of God. It is heartbreaking to watch them struggle with their sense of belonging and identity, but it is also a blessing to offer them hope and support on their journey.
As a life-long Catholic educator, I am always looking for more insight, information as to how I can give be the best support for students (and fellow community members) and that is what drew me to this book.
