Contributor: Kimberly Freeman (LMS) In a recent interview, Kimberly Freeman (Latin teacher at LMS) was asked to describe a student success story. Her answer included the following quote which inspired the name of this post: "After the Milken award, he tagged me in an Instagram post with this caption: '#myteacherrocks She helps me through everything, never lets me give up, pushes me to my limit and I love her for it. She is the recipient of a national teacher award. All love prayers go out to Mrs. Freeman (and I wouldn't be the person I am now if it wasn't for her.)' Truth be told, that post was more meaningful to me than the award itself." As we are getting very close to the end of the year, when many teachers (and students) are in survival mode, I thought I would share some advice from Kimberly. She says, "One of the things I have found to be extremely important today is helping learners see the relevance of their learning. I’m not attached to a name or a program, but I know this: students who feel their perspectives and interests are valued and considered are much more likely to invest in their own learning." By joining students in that learning, I am able to help them find meaningful connections and embrace the challenges of learning this ancient language with a fresh perspective... ...In the days that are exhausting and the seasons that seem overwhelming, we have to remember why we walked in the doors in the beginning. We have to remember that there is no other profession in which people have the ability to reach into our future and instill grit, determination and a great deal of hope like we do in education. That’s a great joy and a great responsibility, and it’s one that holds me in education in the midst of deeply exhausting days." You can read more about Kimberly in an interview she wrote for the Milken Foundation. What you are doing is important! Hang in there. Summer will be here soon.
What advice do you have for your fellow teachers at this point in the year? Leave a comment, or write the next post of Voices in the Field.
5 Comments
Jason Bagley
5/24/2016 09:12:15 am
We should all be so lucky to be validated in this way, where the words from our "babies" mean more to us than a prestigious award! Proud of you, Kimberly!
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Kimberly Freeman
5/24/2016 12:06:43 pm
Thanks, friend. Right back at you, Dr. B!
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Michael Frank
5/25/2016 05:49:53 am
I totally agree. Our 4th graders here at CSES are writing letters to a class in Galicia, Spain with whom I had originally set up an e-pal exchange for our 5th graders. The other day one of the 4th graders made a comment that was very enlightening as to their understanding of our connection with the rest of the world (and how technology works).
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Jennifer Godwin
5/25/2016 08:50:39 am
It is really hard to fit these kind of experiences into the LOLA curriculum. I am going to try and brainstorm some meaningful, real-world activities that fit in with the LOLA curriculum. I'll let you know if I think of anything :)
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Kimberly Freeman
5/27/2016 05:27:08 am
It's definitely a challenge, but I think you're on the right track by doing what you can when you can where you are. Sometimes it's so overwhelming to figure out what to do that we don't know where to start...but look at the valuable authentic experiences you gave your students through this project! We'll keep looking and trying and working together to find ways to incorporate those types of experiences across all levels in our world language programs -- together, we'll find more and more ways to do it!
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