Patch 21- Just Listen
Sometimes I forget that I have a pretty unique and amazing job. I work in student life and one a year or so I have the opportunity to teach a course that tends to always have less than 20 students. Every day I have the pleasure whether in my college office or during class to hear from students what they think about their academics, what is taking up space in their heads and their hearts and what their goals are. And as a result of either the small classroom or the tight knit college community I truly get to know them and I fully appreciate that this may be a truly unique experience (and maybe it’s not).
I read Patch 21- Just listen and it was quite difficult for me to pick just one passage as there were so nuggets of wisdom. Alas this is the one I picked.
“If we don’t listen to and understand our students’ voices, if we don’t recognize the fullness of their lives, we miss all kinds of opportunities to meet them at their point of need – and we miss the chance to welcome those students into the fullness of learning.”
Earlier in my career when I first dipped my toes into teaching in a classroom I was quickly humbled off the stage. I forgot about listening to the students and focused more on what I had to share with them. This small paragraph resonates so deeply with me as I know now how important it is to listen, and listen way more than talk to fully allow the experience of learning to take place.
A way to describe this I think is using a picture of a puzzle (or a way to make your own puzzle). I hope that I can bring all the students “the pieces” together but they create the picture, they create their own shapes, stories and experiences. And together we can create a beautiful learning experience (picture).
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Example for "Patch 21- Just Listen":
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