Julian-Social Justice Teach-In Reflection
1. I think that my teach-in went really well because it was extremely fluid and controlled. We knew exactly what we were going to do so it went by extremely well. The kids got inspired by our passion and became extremely vocal about how when they were going to go home, they would do some work on Freerice.com. That really made me feel that I had made a difference and that these kids had been impacted so much that they wanted to contribute outside of school.
2. I thought that it was a pretty interesting experience to be a “teacher” for two hours. It made me consider how much work needs to be done for each lesson that is prepared for us. It was not my first time in a role with authority, as I worked as a counselor, but this was different since I was actually teaching. My team had great teamwork, so each time that there was an issue, someone was sure to take the initiative to solve it or hurdle it.
3. In my workshop, the only thing that I wanted to change was our reflection period. Many people got distracted, both kids and us and the quality of the workshop went down significantly. Therefore, I feel that if I was in charge, I would seriously rethink the entire reflection period and consider abolishing it. Kids have learnt all about the topic and become bored if it is streched out too long.
4. I really wanted to let all of my participants know that even though our world might seem food-secure, more than one sixth of the world, more than one billion people, are not sure of where their next meal will come from. i think that many of my students did leave with the understanding that change is necessary.
5. I thought that my set up group was great because I learned how to play the xylophone and I expanded my comfort zone. I have never really been into music, so this was a great way for me to grow. Also, I thought our song was pretty good. I really thought that the assemblies acknowledged everything that needed to be said and they were put together well.
6. I think that the preparation for the teach-in was just enough so that we knew what we were doing, but not so much that we felt overwhelmed and bored. I think that next year, the students should be told more about what the actual day will be like as that was confusing. Also, too many things were changed right before the teach-in to a point of real confusion, so that should not happen next year.