Journal #11: Semester Reflection!

The overall question for this semester review is: When you look at everything we have done this semester, what stands out to you as meaningful? 3 things I believe made the most impact on me in this class were the topic of Intersectionality, Kohn's What to Look for in a Classroom, and the woke read aloud.

1. Intersectionality - This topic really stood out to me because it made me look at my life and identity from an outside perspective. Doing the identity chart with privilege helped put this into perspective for me. I hadn't ever really thought about my identity so in depth before and this activity and class discussion brought it to fruition for me!

2. Kohn's What to Look for in a Classroom - This article/chart made an impact for me because I could easily see the good signs in a classroom around my service learning placement. My placement has just been so amazing and being able to experience that was so helpful in my journey to becoming a teacher. Kohn's article made me analyze my personal school experience against my clinical experience which was truly interesting.

3. The woke read aloud with Ki was really fun to watch! I loved how they spoke to their audience about pronouns and how we should consider people's feelings and what they identify as. I think everyone in our society should watch that video and use it in their everyday lives.

Overall, this class has been so interesting and I learned a lot!!

Journal #10: Ki and Woke Read Alouds - Reflection

In this video, Ki reads a book titled They, She, He Easy as ABC and discusses the topic of pronouns. I think this conversation is so wonderful to have with young children! In class, I spoke about trying to break the stigma in young children before it is formed. I think this holds true, especially here because I know so many people, including myself, who had to learn to adapt to people using pronouns that might not match what you would assume from looking at them. Luckily, I went to a high school who was accepting of this and had resources for students. It would have been incredible had I learned as a young child to ask for someone's pronouns before assuming (we all know what assuming makes you!). 

I really enjoyed watching this video and following Ki reading the story. They make it really easy for children (and adults) to understand the topic of the video, and they make it fun to pay attention to. I love when Ki brings up the fact that not everyone will look like what you assume their pronouns are. They also discuss how people can go by multiple pronouns if that's what makes their heart happy. This topic is so helpful for children as well as they grow and begin to figure out their identity and how they feel in their own body. 
Bringing this into my own personal classroom, I definitely want to make sure all of my students are as comfortable as can be and that my classroom is a safe space to all. With that being said, I think doing an activity such as the moo-in is a great way for students to think about this topic and begin to identify who they are. 
Linked here is Ki's video! I truly enjoyed watching this and love how Ki explains pronouns and identity.