1. Young Adolescent Development 6. Family and Community Involvement
Description of evidence and how it demonstrates the standard:
During my freshman year at Franciscan University I had the opportunity to serve in one of the University’s Missions of Peace, based in Douglas Arizona. The focus of my mission team was to work with the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Los Angeles, aid them in their service, education, and care for Loretto Catholic School and its community. Through our service we ministered to the youth through a combination of catechesis and personal witness.
This video artifact shows a glimpse of our mission. Every morning our team would divide into groups and present catechesis lessons based on the age of the students. Most all of the students lived in Mexico and traveled across the border to attend school each day. In order for the students to identify with us as well as to allow our team to understand the uniqueness of the students, our lessons heavily incorporated personal witness, open conversation, and question & answer sessions. The trust-based format of our lessons created a safe learning environment for the students.
Implications for future teaching:
Being able to recognize and accommodate individual learning differences of students is an essential skills required of exceptional teachers. Through my Arizona Mission Trip, I had experience identifying with students that were apart of different culture than my own even though they are attending school in the United States of America. Being so, I became aware of that in my future classroom I may have students from diverse cultures amongst my other native students.
In my future classroom I plan on creating a safe and comfortable learning environment for each learner by fostering a sense of trust. Trust is the key to developing any relationship, whether a familial relationship, a friendship relationship, or a teacher-student relationship. During the first few days of the school year I will focus on letting my students get to know me and my personhood. I also will encourage students to get to know one another. Throughout the school year I will incorporate open discussions into my lessons and allow each student to have a voice in the classroom. This sense of family and smallness will aid in creating the safe learning environment, a safe-zone, which will lead all students toward learning and mastery.