Last night, I had a dream that I was teaching high school Math (yeah, it was close to being a nightmare), and I was trying to help a student understand trigonometry in a way that was accessible to her and her mom, (her mom was in my tutorial too).
After I awoke from the dream, my mind started to wander in my semi-conscious state. First, it started with how teaching is about engaging students to increase their accessibility to learning. Then I started to think about this workshop I have coming up, explaining about how classroom design helps SEL or Social and Emotional Learning. Meshing these two ideas together (in the middle of the night, in the bathroom, typing on my phone), I came up with this:
Everything you do as a teacher is autobiographical. Over a lesson, a term, or a year, you are telling your story of yourself. The bits you reveal tell a very specific story. The room is no different. It is part of the same story. Your story has to allow places for your students to come along for the ride. The kids have to be able to see or fit themselves in your story, your setting.
You are trying to help kids create their own lives, their own stories by showing them yours.
