Finding Common Ground
The two major themes in this year's Common Read are culture and environmental awareness. These themes are expressed in a variety of ways throughout the book. At the common read event that I attended earlier this evening, we had the opportunity to reflect on what it means to have cultural awareness and what it means to be an activist in one's own community.
Given an array of photos whose intention was to evoke an emotional response, we were asked to choose the photo that resonated most with us. I chose this photo of migrant farm workers because of my involvement in groups such as Juntos, Milk with Dignity, and Migrant Justice at Saint Michael's and in the surrounding community.
As a future educator, and perhaps deeper in my core beliefs, is a calling for advocacy. In the Mission Statement at Saint Mike's, it calls for "social justice" and "cultural responsiveness." One way that I am committed to social justice is by choosing to listen and being present to support my friends here. There are countless underprivileged groups at the college, in the United States, and around the world who have a story to share but not the means to write nor to speak. This is one area where I can help. One of my goals after graduation is to work with migrant or refugee communities and to teach English to speakers of other languages. We all have common ground to stand on even if we are as different as Meena and River in "Same Sun Here." The trick is finding out what we have in common and learning to celebrate our differences as the aspects of ourselves that make us truly unique.
Finally, I took away a renewed belief in the importance of respect for our differences. Respect lies at the center of healthy dialogue and relationships. Without respect you cannot have meaningful conversations with people who disagree with you. The first thing that comes to mind is Facebook battles between people of different political views. In the highly charged political climate today, it can be easy to fall into the cycle of not listening to people who disagree with you whether in person or online. No matter what kind of activism I am involved in, I prioritize respect and the right to disagree. In the classroom, my political views are not what are the most important. It does not matter to me if a student has an opposing view, rather what matters is that he or she knows how to express that view with understanding. I want my students to be passionate about learning and to discover what it is that matters most to them. The most important thing I can give students is a space where they feel comfortable enough to have their own opinions and have the right to disagree, knowing that even if I disagree with them on a personal level, I will always be their advocate.
As a future educator, and perhaps deeper in my core beliefs, is a calling for advocacy. In the Mission Statement at Saint Mike's, it calls for "social justice" and "cultural responsiveness." One way that I am committed to social justice is by choosing to listen and being present to support my friends here. There are countless underprivileged groups at the college, in the United States, and around the world who have a story to share but not the means to write nor to speak. This is one area where I can help. One of my goals after graduation is to work with migrant or refugee communities and to teach English to speakers of other languages. We all have common ground to stand on even if we are as different as Meena and River in "Same Sun Here." The trick is finding out what we have in common and learning to celebrate our differences as the aspects of ourselves that make us truly unique.
Finally, I took away a renewed belief in the importance of respect for our differences. Respect lies at the center of healthy dialogue and relationships. Without respect you cannot have meaningful conversations with people who disagree with you. The first thing that comes to mind is Facebook battles between people of different political views. In the highly charged political climate today, it can be easy to fall into the cycle of not listening to people who disagree with you whether in person or online. No matter what kind of activism I am involved in, I prioritize respect and the right to disagree. In the classroom, my political views are not what are the most important. It does not matter to me if a student has an opposing view, rather what matters is that he or she knows how to express that view with understanding. I want my students to be passionate about learning and to discover what it is that matters most to them. The most important thing I can give students is a space where they feel comfortable enough to have their own opinions and have the right to disagree, knowing that even if I disagree with them on a personal level, I will always be their advocate.
