Casey Marchant
ERH-411W
Blog #2
HR: Presentations in class
How can we connect?
The main expectation and challenge I feel that will be had in many communities is that kids don’t care or they are not motivated. There are different reasons that this happens such as the teacher may be boring, the material may seem to not be applicable, or they may have other things going on in life that may be distracting them. The task which is massively challenging is finding a way which shows the students the applicability of the material, motivated, and focused on the moment. The presentation brought up thoughts I had on my own experience and questions I’ve had on connecting with students in schools. During the presentation I heard plans and ideas on how to connect to kids but just like my own experiences in school I thought “How does this person know what’s best for me and my community?” No matter how qualified the person is to speak on the topic from the education what ends up matter to me the most is where is this person (the teacher/ presenter) present in my community. This is my experience and I believe that it is most students feeling as well. The teachers I receive the best are the first and foremost part of my community and they are invested in the community. Ability is massively important, however, if someone comes from outside of my community to teach I am always skeptical. The presentation reminded me of my experiences and how this is challenging to educators.
As for the presentation and tour, I found that it was beneficial in that it put on display and explained things, in depth, which I see but may not understand fully. Regarding the aforementioned idea of needing teachers and individuals which are invested in the community for material to be interesting or seeming applicable, this tour and presentation perfectly drew me in. Although, I am not from Lexington specifically, my community is similar and has similar struggles. I am from Winchester, which is in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and the information I heard is almost identical to what my home must deal with. Moreover, talking about collaboration with other institutions in the community demonstrated the importance of everyone getting involved. It is also an opportunity that can become an avenue for students to get involved in their community.
Casey,
You offer some important thoughts about building a trusting culture and context but as a public audience, I don’t understand some of your references. Which presentation are you referring to? We’ve had several experts visit our classroom, and both are heavily immersed in local cultures/ communities, so it’s worth speaking to that context rather than in abstraction.
How might you use Elise Sheffield’s role as Director of Boxerwood Gardens, or Michelle Caruthers role as Director of Physical Plant at VMI and their many experiences working in both local schools and our VMI culture to explore some of those same points? Furthermore, how does the reading about building a learning culture or the water expedition story support you thoughts about what a school or a community can or should take on for the betterment of a community, or an individual learner?
MAJ Hodde