Researcher ORCID Identifier

0000-0001-7112-3663

Date of Award

Summer 2021

Degree Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Education, MA

Program

School of Educational Studies

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Abstract

The purpose of reflection is to analyze experiences in order to raise questions, decide what works best, and be in a constant state of learning and growing as a person. This ethnography is a written account of my journey as a first year teacher and social justice educator in which I share stories, artifacts, and ongoing reflection of myself and my teaching practice. Through this reflection, I explore my background and positionality, connections made with students, and sensemaking of various practices in my classroom. In addition, I describe our shared class experience of examining social issues and the power of youth activism. During my first year of teaching, I have explored various methods of engaging students in meaningful content, rigorous curriculum, and socio-emotional learning to create a well-rounded classroom experience. Student's socio-emotional needs often outweigh their academic needs, especially in an unprecedented year of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. My students and I have worked in-community to nurture an authentic and reflective environment in our classroom. In sharing our power and tools, we leaned into our funds of knowledge, cultural backgrounds, and unique interests to enhance and elevate our curriculum in a meaningful way. My reflection surrounds the pathways I have taken to be able to provide individualized and personal attention to each student in order to to support all learners in my classroom.

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