Mind map

I first created a mind map that can be seen by clicking on the link above ^^ (it is too big to be inserted as a picture).

Here is my explanation of it!

I first decided to split my “why did I want to go into teaching?” into three parts (represented by the purple squares). I chose leadership because I have always wanted to be a leader in some way, not because I like to tell others what to do, but because I have always wanted to choose a career path that is impactful (this is why another purple square says impact). I want to be able to inspire others in many ways because I strongly believe that impact and the serving of others are somehow connected to my life’s purpose. Having a sense of purpose is like that unexplainable feeling where you know what your calling is, you just need to find the path or the right job that will allow you to do it. My last purple square says “appreciation for children” because I have always felt like children know the truth- they are blunt, honest, and look up to who they trust. For these reasons, children have always inspired me.

I then thought about those reasons of why I want to become a teacher and applied those reasons to the strengths that I will be able to bring into teaching (represented by the yellow squares). I believe that leadership requires empathy and understanding, and I believe that my ability to empathize and understand others has been a superpower in my life. Empathy is my superpower because I tend to build trust with others very easily, as I am not capable of harsh judgment. I will therefore always be willing to listen to my students without making assumptions first. In addition to this strength, I remembered that I saw the words “your best is always good enough” plastered on a wall in one of my practicum classrooms, and it reminded me of my strength to always focus on the accomplishments of my students instead of focusing on what is maybe “going wrong.” I think my love and respect for children along with my leadership skills will allow me to foster positive relationships between the students in any classroom and myself. I lastly had to mention my kindness and gratitude in my mind-map, because these two things have also taken me very far in life. Interestingly enough, I have been told on multiple occasions that I am “too nice,” but I believe that anything other than kindness cannot dispel harshness or meanness. I then thought about how my kindness pairs well with another quote that I have seen on a wall during my practicum that reads, “choose being kind over being right.” I stand by that quote.

Building off of my strengths, I addressed what provoked more thinking in this class, which is represented by the blue squares. At the beginning of this block, we talked about what integrity is. I remember thinking about something I heard once in one of my undergrad classes about how integrity is the alignment of one’s words and actions, and I then shared this insight with the class. This insight really provoked my thinking in regards to teaching because it made me think about how truly important integrity really is: for example, if we say we will do something to help support a student, but then do not accomplish that, then that student will lose trust in us. The alignment of actions and words builds greater trust, which also links back to my strength of being a trustworthy person. We have also addressed the importance of mental health throughout this semester (represented by another blue square) and this provoked my thinking because I, myself, have had mental health struggles throughout this semester. I have really come to value health above all, and that belief comes from personal experience. I have really started to think about a grade-less system, and whether that could possibly facilitate a bit of internal relief (especially for people dealing with chronic illnesses). As time goes on, I do lean towards a grade-less system, though I still recognize the cons. I am sure my thinking on a grade-less system will continue to be provoked in the blocks to come. Lastly, I thought about some of the videos we have watched that talk about completely shifting our perspective(s) when in challenging situations, and I think that really links back to my strength of being empathic/understanding. I was able to see a reflection of myself in Rita Pierson’s Ted-talk video, and this insight thus provoked my thinking because it made me realize that I have the potential to be an inspirational teacher.

After reflecting on my “why,” my strengths, and what has provoked my thinking, this is when I began to reflect on what has challenged my thinking (in other courses), which is represented by the green squares. The blue square that says the “willingness to change one’s perspective” goes very hand in hand with the green square that says “awareness of assumptions and bias”: if we are not self aware of our own biases, then how can we shift our perspective(s)? I was able to talk about the problems with bias in one of the assignments I did in EDUC 393, and it challenged my thinking because it really made me self-reflect about how I can be better at observing myself from a greater perspective more so than I already do now. Frequent self evaluations and journaling can help with this. Another green square mentions daily check-ins, and that is because I saw daily check-ins during my practicum experience(s) that were very vulnerable, real, and open. The reason why this observation challenged my thinking is because I started to question whether daily check-ins (especially when the teacher shares how they are feeling personally with the class) are too personal or not (i.e. is this crossing a boundary)? However, now at the end of this block, I have come to believe that daily check-ins are not crossing any boundaries, but rather personal daily check-ins actually make students feel more comfortable, safe, and calm in the classroom. This type of safe environment is the type of classroom that I aspire to have and create. Another insight that really provoked my thinking happened when myself and other classmates were discussing standard one in EDUC 390; standard one mentions valuing the success of students. However, the definition of “success” is not mentioned here, and the word success can have a variety of different meanings. This insight challenged my thinking because I then began to think about how school is about so much more than just academic success- what about improving health? Improving social skills? Being taught to balance school life and home life? Improving our ability to be mindful? Those improvements can all be defined as success, and I’ve really started to think about what success really means when not thinking about grades. I lastly had to mention one of my favorite FPPL that has challenged my thinking: learning requires the exploration of one’s identity. The word “identity” itself has always been a very interesting word to me, not only because identity is ever changing, but also because when we try to define who we are, we tend to place ourselves in a box (i.e. we might actually be missing out on the totality of who we really are). This insight made me think about how this is the exact same thing as trying to define what love is- love cannot be defined in a sentence because then we would be taking away from the vastness that it is. Both of these words are things that are only felt and expressed, but cannot necessarily always be defined with language. Not only do I want my students to explore their identities while learning in school, but I also want to be able to challenge my students (and myself) to start thinking about what identity really means to us.

Every single point that my mind-map has mentioned thus far then lead me to discover what I am currently wondering about, and that is, “how can I become better at what I know I am capable of”? Sometimes, my anxiety and self-doubt creep in when trying to be myself in a classroom, and I honestly have not yet figured out why this might be the case. Maybe I am stuck in student mode as opposed to leader mode. Maybe I am lacking confidence in areas of my professional life even though I exude confidence in my social life. So, I wonder about how I can overcome this. However, I have faith that with practice, consistency, and greater self-awareness, I will be able to overcome the insecurities of “am I doing this right?” with time.