#75 Who us?

What a unique opportunity I have to work with such amazing kids!  Calling them kids seems strange, but young adults, adolescents, teenagers just don’t fit.  Maybe that is because I think of them as “my kids”.  They are such an important part of my world and they really are a part of my family.   I am always so amazed at how they step up and rise to the occasion, even when it requires them to go way, way out of their comfort zones. They do listen to me, they hear me and that makes me feel good. 

Marielle stepped up and motivated everyone to move from The Wall to the Lecture Hall. Then she stepped up again and asked everyone to move closer to the stage.  She didn’t hesitate so much the second time.  She has a very good teacher voice!  I was impressed. Everyone listened quite quickly!

Lisette, Thérèse, Aline, and Madeleine also stepped right up when I told them that everyone had to go onto the stage and read why people in our community feel like they don’t have a voice, and why the do.  The look of horror on their faces is hard to describe.  They were relieved when I started talking to explain a little more of my story about my finding a voice.  They were also sadly disappointed when I didn’t forget that they all had to come up to the stage.  They did awesome!  Just like I knew they would!

Not many people would believe that I was actually very shy in high school.  I always dreaded the teacher calling on me to respond to a question. I was always afraid of making a mistake, or sounding silly.  In college, I was so freaked out by Speech class that I waited until the summer before my senior year to take it.  Yes. I did know I wanted to be a teacher.  Yes.  I knew that being a teacher meant talking in front of people. None of that mattered; I was just shy.

Pierre mentioned tonight that he was thankful that he has overcome his shyness.  One day in class we talked about this.  How can it be easier to talk about philosophy and metaphysics and not be able to carry on more personal conversations? I guess it comes back to being vulnerable.  Yes.  That is it.  How proud I was to see him up on stage sharing that reality about himself.  It reminded me of myself and I know that others could relate as well.  That is the power of sharing from the heart.

I can so relate to my kids who struggled to get up and speak out in front of our community tonight.  Maybe that is why it was so important to me that they do it.  I know they can step out and speak up. Maybe I can help encourage that courage.  What a great word – encourage!    

Tonight a friend who has not seen me “in action” with my kids before asked one of them “Is she always like this?” He meant jumping up and down with excitement and enthusiasm…and talking fast!  Chantal confirmed it and my friend wasn’t so surprised.  Chantal continued to say that it is a nice change from her other classes.  I told my friend that I just can’t help it. He often reminds me to breathe, a necessary reminder that I do appreciate.  What is ironic is that there still are situations where I am hesitant and struggle to share with enthusiasm. Breaking out of shell is not an easy task.

So, to my “Who us….get up and talk?” crowd.  I am so, so proud of you for stepping up and using your voices to share with everyone.  It made a difference for us to hear you say out loud peoples’ ideas about having voices.  You made a difference.  Have courage!  You are awesome!

For ALL my kids who went out of their comfort zones tonight to stretch and grow….

This is why I teach.

#73 Elisabeth, the painting elf

Tonight at our community event, I put up a picture of our handprints on the wall and it was powerful, just like it is powerful when I look at them when I am out at the wall. They are our handprints, representing us as individuals, yet they also represent us as a community. It is difficult to find my handprints. I actually wouldn’t know where they were if it weren’t for a video that the kids took.  The thing is really that it doesn’t matter where mine are.  More importantly they are with everyone else’s.  I am just a part of a greater community.  We are all connected, side-by-side on this crazy journey.  How awesome it is to not be alone. I can be myself yet be a part of the community, not lost within it.

Ok, now for the funny story. The day we were “finishing” the Wall, it was time for hand prints.  This was so exciting, like more exciting that you might anticipate.  But, then again, that describes each and every part of this project!  We needed someone to paint hands.  Elisabeth volunteered and painted everyone’s hands with chalkboard paint.  Feeling the paint on my hands was interesting because it made me feel more connected to the project somehow.  Seeing how excited Elisabeth was to paint everyone’s hands was also fun.  The most fun part came when she started jumping into every painted hand photo that we were taking.  It was funny at the time, but even funnier when we went back and looked at the pictures.  Having pictures of this experience is so special. I am able to appreciate things that I didn’t notice at the time they were happening.

As I went through the pictures to pull some for our book, I started seeing the hand pictures and one after the other, there is Elisabeth.  The best thing is that the joy on her face is so awesome.  There is this special light that shines in her smile and it is just fun! I don’t know how she jumped into each of those photos and has the look down in each and every one.  Now, the experience was fun to begin with, but her energy just added something even more special and one more aspect we can laugh about and enjoy. Gallery of hand pictures...

Merci Elisabeth pour ton enthousiasme et travail comme notre Elfe de peinture.  Tu es si rigolo et ton énergie est fantastique !  Ton sourire est comme un rayon de soleil.

Having the opportunity to have my hands painted by an elf and put my handprints on a wall…

This is why I teach!  

#71 Is there anyone out there?

Sometimes when I am writing I just wonder to myself “Is there anyone out there reading these?” This whole online journaling is quite the interesting experience. I have kept journals all my life, but they have only been for me. They are the story of my life, yet I have kept it to myself.

What an exciting and scary adventure this is in sharing my voice, my ideas, my emotions, everything about me. The additional element in this experience is that I am not just telling my story anymore. I get to tell everyone’s story. And everyone gets to read it, right away, with the push of a “publish” button.  This is both awesome and scary.  I don’t want to get things “wrong”. But how could I if I am sharing me and my perspective?  Well, the answer is that I can’t.  Honesty is a powerful thing. 

When we allow ourselves to “Be 100”, thank my kids for teaching me that one, we no longer have to be afraid. We get to celebrate our perspective, our story and the story of the people in our lives, the people who are so important. We are “right” when we are ourselves.

I found out yesterday that I have a special person in my life who has ready every, yes every, one of my posts!  Now I feel loved and heard.  Being vulnerable has its rewards, great ones at that.    

To my one reader who has read every one of my posts…..your reward is that you get two!  : )

 

Merci Vanessa. Tu es formidable!  Bises.

Knowing that I am heard and that others want to hear my voice…

This is why I teach! 

Reason # 70 Chocolate pretzels and slurpees

I tell my students certain things, make certain requests.  One is that it is frustrating when students turn in work the day grades are due to be submitted officially.  Do they listen to me?  Oh, I wish.  With all that has been going on at school with our project on top of our normal activities, I admit that grading has not been at the top of my list.  So, I was working to get caught up on grading the day grades were due.   We were in the computer lab when I hear this sweet voice say “Miss are you doing grades?” My first thought…..Here we go. When I looked up, there is Vanessa with this big smile, knowing that this is the question I dread the most at this point in time.  Now could I refuse the request so politely and nicely asked with that smile.  I needn’t answer.  I can say that it cost a chocolate pretzel, one of my favorite treats, especially with toffee. 

Later the next week, we were working on The Wall in the hot sun, well at least most of us to finish it up before the news crew came.  I looked to a table in the courtyard and see my group of girls all visiting.  I had some questions for them and what did I see on the table but big slurpees!  Now, did they have an extra?  Sadly I realized they did not.  Who was the first one to jump up and offer to get me one?  Yes, it was Vanessa.  Now this time it did cost me a dollar, but well worth it.  Slurpees in the sunshine, nice.

Tweeting is a strange new experience.  I still don’t totally understand how it works, but I am making efforts with this new technology even though having 8 followers still makes me a little sad.  Vanessa asked me to tweet her a picture of what she wrote on the wall.  When I did, she tweeted a <<Merci.>> with a little smiley face…why do those always make me happy?  It is the little things, really it is. Now this was special as it was, to hear back immediately that she got the photo and made her happy. When she got to class and shared that it almost made her cry, well that almost made me cry.  This wall experience keeps doing this.

 

This is a difficult time in the year when seniors are graduating. They are super excited and while I am also excited for them, it is a time of mixed feelings.  I don’t like knowing that they won’t be in my class next year. I get used to being with them every day and life just isn’t the same when they move on to life beyond high school.  Letting go….another lesson of the classroom: a challenging one.  

Ma chère Vanessa, mon cheerleader future à UNM. Merci pout ton sourire et ton enthousiasme.  Tu es un rayon de soleil dans la classe et tu vas me manquer beaucoup !

Knowing that sharing the little things really does make a difference....

This is why I teach! 

Reason #68 What’s an Instagram?

Do the brains of young people just naturally adapt to the additional technology that just pops up out of nowhere? 

I am thankful that my students have happily volunteered to share our project through the social media of their choice!  They jumped at the opportunity to be in charge and I had no idea that there was an Instagram?  The cool thing I that I don’t need to know what they are. I have surrounded myself with perfectly capable and excited people who love all this technology and know how to use it efficiently.

Now, what does it mean when I send a Tweet to a student and they respond within seconds? If only they would do their homework as quickly!  No. I gave that one up a long time ago!   Next idea, I will teach them all the texting abbreviations in French and give them extra credit for using them in their tweets, tumbles, and updates.  First Simon’s Cat, now this! 

See this expertise in action. Join, like, follow, tweet, and tumble so you, too, can experience the inspiration and evolution of the Wall.

 

Facebook – Highland French Project

Tumblr – We all have a voice

Twitter – @highlandfrench

Instagram – weallhaveavoice_hhs

The opportunity for a world-wide community experience of inspiration…

 

That is why I teach!

Reason #67 The reality of changing the world

We really were on the news today!  There is evidence that we are changing the world!

I did miss the first live broadcast, however. It is Spring Break and I just couldn’t get up to catch the 4:30 am show.  Yeah for video on demand!  Now we can share it with everyone else too!

I actually had to plug my television back into the cable box since I don’t watch it anymore. I know, may sound lame, but that is how I found the Ted talk by Candy Chang that was the inspiration for this whole project!  Ideas worth sharing!

After watching the first hour and a half of news in over a year and experiencing the sad stories, I am so happy that my kids have created this inspirational reality.  It has already made such a difference at our community. So many people are now gathering, talking, laughing, sharing things they would not otherwise share.   

It is now their story but there will never be an ending, ever. This will go on far beyond our wildest imaginations.  How cool is that?   

Tweeting, Tumblring, Facebooking, and Instagramming along the way to the reality of our story being in the world has been surreal.  It is really out there now.

We have been carrying on thought-provoking conversations for months about sharing one’s voice, impacting other people, loving others, transforming the lives of other people, and believing in one self and others. We have watched French films, Ted talks, written personal reactions, talked with others in our community about their ideas. This project has evolved and is constantly moving and growing. It has been fascinating to sit back and watch it transform and make a difference for us all.

Watching my students share their voices with news was exciting. They have worked so hard and have such strong beliefs about this project.  I am thrilled they were able to share their voices and connect with an even wider community.  It was also fun to write with them and put chalk handprints on the wall together.  The day before it was chalkboard paint handprints!  They laughing and sharing reflects the spirit of the project…I am sure that will continue!   

Here is the link to the report:  Highland Students Cover Walls with Hopes,Dreams

They have started a revolution and it is going to go on and on and on…..what a beautiful thing!  Passing on inspiration! 

I am so happy that the news saw this inspiration, this desire for positivity and connection. The school district felt it as well…even in a tweet!!!  That must be pretty powerful to get the attention of our district in one tweet!  Yeah for our team!

Thank you to the news team for sharing the heart of our story and joining us as we all share our voices!  You have given us a gift in spreading our message even farther.  

Merci mille fois!  May you have a beautiful family, get to tailgate at a UT Austin game, and speak at a college graduation!!  May you produce DocuArt   May you live in your mother’s homeland – Italy. 

Meeting amazing people and sharing inspiring dreams…

This is why I teach!

Reason #66 Creating a place to belong

After our day delay, a reporter came out to school to interview us and learn about our story. The kids were nervous and excited at the same time.  I was feeling less nervous after getting my 5 pages of “clarification” of ideas to one page with three key points. I really didn’t want to forget them because they were the heart of our project. Yes. Our project has heart, a very big heart. That is why it is so very special; it goes far, far beyond paint on a wall.

The main ideas I really wanted to remember were:

1.) We had made many connections with ourselves, each other in different classes, with our school community, and soon the world;

2) We had created  a safe place where we all belong, a place where everyone has a place in the conversation, a new conversation about positive dreams and hopes;

3) As a result of my students acting on their inspiration and belief that they can change the world and transform the lives of other people, we are all connected to a conversation about what is truly important in life.

Being able to guide the creation of a place where 1,700+ people belong and can share meaningful conversations that will continue on and on….

That is why I teach!