Home, a word with meanings that vary by the experiences of individuals using it. To me, the word home equates to the feeling of warmth, comfort and knowing that I have support. I am very lucky to have grown up in a supportive environment; the foundational years of my schooling are the reason I am who I am.
From preschool to eighth grade I attended the same school; there, I was truly allowed to flourish and grow as an individual. During my tenure at the said institution, I was exposed to various educators with a plethora of teaching styles; but lucky enough, out of all those teachers there wasn't one that I didn't feel supported by. Many had approaches that I didn't quite enjoy, but I never felt brushed aside or neglected.
On that note, I have come home from college recently and was presented with the opportunity to go back to my Alma Mater and be a guest speaker to a class of fifth graders. There is nothing more in life that I enjoy more than public speaking, sharing my experiences and inspiring others, so of course, I took it.
Walking into the classroom, I could already feel the shift in energy; these kids were curious, excited and eager. I began to introduce myself and hands shot up in the air within the first twenty-five seconds of my talk. The students in this class were astonishing.
We held conversations along the lines of teacher's salary, the improvement of public schooling, sustainability, the importance of the arts in developmental learning along with my recurring themes of following a passion, educating yourself on global occurrences and doing everything with maximum effort.
As I divulged and decoded the fact that I was a Communications and Rhetorical Studies and Political Science double major to a class of fifth graders, they shockingly seemed interested. Questions about my future plans and endeavors arose, and ultimately the question of whether I plan on running for an office of some sort. Below are some questions that fifth-grade students asked me to post the announcement of my presidential campaign in the year 2040.
"What is your position on the improvement of public schooling?"
"What is your preferred source of clean energy?"
"How do you feel about the teacher's salary?"
"Are you going to be a better president than Trump?" (I did not answer due to the fact that it would be inappropriate to expose/advocate in favor of my political standings)
"If you could invest in the advancement of any type of technology, which would it be and why?"
"How has art shaped you into who you are now?"
These are just a few of many eloquent questions asked to me by a group of FIFTH GRADERS. I capitalize the words "fifth" and "graders" because their concern and interest in such topics at such a young age truly shocked me. I spoke with these kids for around an hour and a half, and I feel that they could've kept going if we had more time.
From insightful inquiries about life to simply asking my opinion on certain national and global occurrences, these students knocked this discussion out of the park. Some were outgoing the second I walked into the classroom, and others grew more comfortable to ask me questions as the talk continued. Not only did these students learn from what I had to say, but they learned from each other.
Experiences like these are a great example of the importance of fostering conversation in the classroom and at home. Allowing students to ask a million questions, to speak publicly and interact with one another is vital in the developmental learning stages. Creating an accepting learning environment is essential to the comfort and growth of a student in and outside of the classroom.
From my experience, true learning occurs when a student is encouraged to put themselves out there and is aware that it is okay to fail. And that is the environment in which these fifth-grade students are learning in right now. I know that for a fact because I had their teacher and she is a pillar in the structure that is my persona. I have always pushed the envelope when it came to my ideas, thoughts, and beliefs; she never tried to dull my sparkle and she clearly isn't doing it to any of her current students.
Something that truly stuck with me was when several students asked the teacher if they could write their current event assignment on one of my articles; it confirmed for me that I have made a positive impression on these students, and that in itself is an incentive enough. These fifth graders that I had the pleasure of talking to are a group of gems and have made coming home even better than I thought it would be.
