Reflective Essay: Major Battles Of World War I

Jose was the only student who looked at me with recognition when I mentioned the gender binary, not surprisingly the only fifteen-year-old student who greeted the words with familiarity in their face. My sixth period sophomores sat before me, grinning with accomplishment that they’d once again gotten me off task. “Major Battles of World War One” was displayed on the projector screen behind me, but we were in the midst of a full class conversation after one boy had joked “girls like to trap boys before Valentine’s Day”. The girls in the class had confirmed my suggestion that his remark was off base, and now, like so many days before, my class had disintegrated into debates and discussion about gender, race, or class. I relished these moments because although many students might not have learned where Ypres is, they were engaged with powerful learning about themselves and each other. It is important to me to create an environment where students could cultivate their adolescent perceptions into beliefs, and know that they would be taken seriously. My students understood that I could be “led off task” because I consider learning through lessons and learning through life to be equally important. It engages students, and when one month later, Jose

The ultimate goal working with young people is to equip them for success in their futures. Success, is not limited to the technical abilities required to excel in a lab or at a desk, rather it will also be measured by people’s ability to work with others in a spirit of respect, curiosity, and kindness. Students will face tests that will challenge their paradigms and sense of self. In those moments their success will depend on the tools they have been equipped with to craft