Sept 26th - Exit Slip

During today’s class, I continued to think about the spirit that is infused by creators and caretakers. Both these acts, caring and creating, seem deeply reciprocal by nature. With this in mind, I’d like to share how my own experience with how gardening has unexpectedly helped enrich my communities. In 2019 when I grew my first garden, although I had no idea what to do, I was deeply motivated by the prospect of seeds becoming food. My first garden, despite being done chaotically, was successful and yielded many different plants. In particular, I was shocked at how abundant and delicious the carrots were. I’ve grown many different crops in the past 5 years, however carrots are always the staple that I eagerly invest my time.

During the first few years, I was mostly in love with the process of gardening. Preparing the beds, planting the seeds, nurturing the plants and seeing things grow. Unfortunately, I did not know how to harvest properly and much of what I grew rotted. Eventually, I realized that it was unethical to not harvest these gifts. Being unable to eat all the food I was growing, I started giving it away to anyone who convinced me they were going to eat it. Since this realization, I’ve brought a bag of carrots to almost every social gathering I’ve attended during carrot season. I feel tremendous gratitude when I see friends eating my carrots. Carrots have made many a stranger my friend.

I see many parallels in carrot growing and weaving. Both activities are done by the grower / weaver for themselves – the act is intrinsically satisfying. Both activities yield abundance, and this abundance can be distributed to the community. These activities, so deeply tied to the land, enrich both the creator and community.

I hope very much to incorporate land-based learning in my journey as an educator. I’m realizing more that although I am passionate about math, it is not the ‘core’ of what I hope to teach my students. Math is only a medium that will help students explore themselves and the world.

Starting to feel a little too idealistic. I need to go on practicum soon.

Sept 26th - Entrance Slip

 Reading this article, I was moved by how the author connects the development of skills to a step away from our consumerist society. Although there are only a handful of skills I’ve developed which fit this criteria, they all serve me in ways beyond their utilitarian purpose. I think of learning to maintain my bike. This has been a long and often frustrating process, but now I am confident in my skills and can take care of my bike as a caretaker should. This skill removes the need to constantly have some bike-shop fix my bike. It also enables me to bike in remote places with confidence in my bike. Most importantly, it is a skill that I can offer and share with my community.  

I also believe that the person making something has the power to infuse their spirit in that thing. Whether it be instruments, furniture, tools, art, or anything else, there is always a unique character to objects made by individuals. This is in sharp contrast to machine manufactured objects which often do not possess the same degree of spirit, care, and love. You sense this spirit most closely when you are using the object as intended. I have a special relationship with my bike, having taken care of it for several years now. 

My favorite idea in this article is captured in the sentence: “participants acknowledge where their own skills are suited to aid the community and where their own internal needs for creative fulfillment can be satisfied”. Sharing your most authentic self with the community, for the community, is a step away from the hyper-competitive western individualism that seems to drive so many people through their most energetic years. Personally, my decision to become a teacher was largely guided by a desire to give energy to my communities, as well as to see how my best self can change the world. I am so excited to find communities to share and grow authentically.

Of the three videos, I was most drawn to the rope making. I have many carrot tops from the carrots in my garden, however it seems they are not long enough. I plan to bring some to class – I hope someone with wisdom can offer guidance. More on this in my exit slip.

Sept 19th - Exit Slip

 Today in the garden was our first opportunity to return to our sit-spots. After drawing a tree last week, I found myself looking more intentionally at its shape. I imagine next week, given this week's color matching activity, I will be more perceptive of color. These activities encourage us to spend time with the garden, teaching us patience, curiosity, and perception.

This color matching activity drew our attention towards the impossibility of 'perfection' in nature. Particularly when contrasted with the abstract perfection of math, it seems to show us that there are worlds of complexity, at every scale, anywhere you look. Having a strong background in math, it is perhaps easier to appreciate the intense complexity offered by the natural world. 

I am hopeful that I can become a better student of the garden. There are feelings of interconnectedness that I gleam but frankly feel ignorant to. There is a delicacy present that makes me feel crude. I think it would be best to dismiss my expectations if I am to be a proper student of the garden. 

Lastly, I want to speak to the quality of materials. This has come up several times in our classes - the use of charcoal when drawing, the story of a former teacher candidate building drums, and the trust we placed in our 'phone compass' relative to the real compass. The quality of our tools and materials play an important role when we interact with the world. Intuitively, I feel greater responsibility using higher quality materials. I can't say exactly why, but I think it comes from a feeling of respect for the tool and the effort which went into producing it. 

I look forward to future lessons in my sitting spot. 

Sept 19th Entrance Slip

 This article makes explicit some of the greatest gifts these learning gardens have to offer. The first that really resonated was its ability to act as a community space. The universal appeal of these learning garden brings together many ways of life, cultivating rich experiences teeming with diversity. During my adult life in Vancouver, I’ve noticed that there are very few community spaces that meaningfully serve Vancouver’s multi-cultural communities. Even existing community gardens in many parts of the city are not generally thought of as gathering places (this is a generalization - the Strathcona community garden, for example, is incredible). Applying some of the philosophies of learning gardens to community gardens might help transform them into something attractive to a broader community.

I was also moved by how the article discussed embracing the garden as a co-teacher. By minimizing human-made infrastructure, the gardens can help us develop a real, authentic relationship with the natural world. I can affirm the absence of this experience in typical STEM education. This is tragic given that these are often the people who shape our physical world. We would be wise to ensure that these students have ample opportunities to develop an intimate relationship with the world they are so eager to change.

In the context of Secondary math, I can most easily envision group work taking place in a garden setting. I envision groups of 3-4, standing up, working through a sheet of problems on a portable whiteboard. Experience this semester gives me confidence this can happen in a learning garden. Furthermore, I speculate that students in tune with the spirits will find mathematical guidance in extremely novel ways.

The most notable difficulties I foresee relate to distractions and fatigue. In particular if it is a hot day, working in an outdoor space requires a lot of energy that might otherwise be used for math. Additionally, distractions within the garden (insects, wind, physical discomfort) might easily pull students away from the task at hand.   

Sept 12th Exit Slip - Relating to Discomfort

 As someone with minimal experience using visual mediums, the time spent in the garden today was a refreshing experience. Often I find myself engaged in activities (particularly creative ones) that I am comfortable and familiar with. Today was a reminder of the discomfort many young students will need to sit with in the math classroom. I feel that a familiarity with this feeling will allow me to relate and empathize more authentically with these students. 

Although the drawing was difficult, the garden helped immensely to keep me calm and enjoy the tranquility of the exercise. I can see how these types of spaces could be used to ease the minds of struggling students. 

Sept 12th Entrance Slip - The Relevance of Reflective Teachers in 2024

As a new teacher candidate, I part of my motivation comes from how poorly math was taught to me in high school. To me, this article suggests that much of what was ‘bad’ about my secondary math teachers was their unreflective attitudes

In 2023 I volunteered at a Vancouver secondary school with a relatively young, reflective math teacher. As a candidate, he saw the ineffectiveness of ‘traditional’ teaching in schools. Being reflective, he sought new pedagogies; this led him to Peter Liljedahl’s ‘Building Thinking Classrooms’. Despite my lack of experience, he gave me opportunities to experiment with assessment and lectures, showing an open-mindedness I was very grateful for. He created opportunities for all students to approach him, listened, and was patient with those who were frustrated. Lastly, he was constantly adjusting his lesson plans & assessments from prior years, demonstrating the responsibility he felt to offer students his best. Seeing so much of the description of a ‘reflective’ teacher align with my mentor gives me confidence in the relevance of this article in 2024.

That being said, this article does feel somewhat idealistic. Although I’m aligned with the value of open-mindedness, responsibility, and whole-heartedness, the reality of our resources and political situation will mean that a balance of all these is necessary. My mentor drew very firm boundaries which kept him out of trouble (and from burnout). Although we need reflective teachers, there is a nuance required to operate in our current system which is not discussed in this article.

Lastly, I’m grateful for this article’s commentary on practicum, particularly it’s emphasis that we as candidates must actively ask pointed questions so as to understand the ‘why’ of our mentors. I intend to leverage the questions offered in this article during my practicum.

Sept 5th Exit Slip: Balancing Relatability and Authority

What resonated most with me in today’s class was McCourt’s commentary on honesty. Specifically, his inclination to relate and be his authentic self with his students. During my time in classrooms, I’ve felt a tension between presenting myself as a fully honest, relatable person, and needing to embrace a more authoritative, sterile presence. I have seen and felt the benefits of both these strategies, as well as their negative consequences. In both cases, there is potential for a lack of respect in the classroom. The fully honest person may be seen as weak and unable to control the classroom, since the students perceive them as an equal. Without command of the classroom, it is impossible to cultivate a meaningful learning environment. Alternatively, while the authoritative presence might command the class, they have not earned genuine respect from the students. As such, there is no authentic relationship between teacher and student, something which is essential for knowledge transfer. 

McCourt’s strategies as a teacher demonstrate a sublime third option. By opening up and relating his life experiences to the students, he earns a type of respect which enables authority. It is an authority which is earned, and which enables him to maintain an authoritative presence without coming across as a tyrant. Furthermore, because he has the student's respect, the learning is natural and intuitive. He is able to both lead and follow them, acting as a guide as they take themselves to the places they need to go. 

I hope embrace a style similar to McCourt, namely using authenticity to earn respect. I expect I will still feel tension for a long time, but it is relieving to see these strategies coming together in a balanced way. 

After this reflection, I am wishing I had time to reread Robert Johnson’s writing about the ‘King / Queen’ archetype, and in particular the associated Shadow poles of ‘The Weakling’ and ‘The Tyrant’.

Hello World!

 I love to grow sunflowers. Here are some sunflowers that I grew this year: