Future Teacher, Forever Student

As a visual learning, I have always loved incorporating some type of artistic element into my school projects. My notebooks are covered in doodles that (usually) relate to the lecture material surrounding them, and I often like to draw out scenes from a novel or play in order to better understand how characters interact with one another and their environment. I loved comic books and graphic novels as a kid, but stopped reading them when they were no longer stocked on my teachers' classroom shelves. So, when I discovered that there are graphic novels that target young adults as the main audience, I was pretty excited to dive into a world that was already drawn out for me. Lighter Than My Shadow ,  a graphic novel written and illustrated by Katie Green, takes the reader through the author's struggles with anorexia nervosa, binging, therapy, and sexual assault. While the subject matter is heavy on the heart, the ability to see the physical changes in Katie along with her thou

One of my favorite things about the Education program at Saint Michael's is the incorporation of different professional development opportunities as a part of my course work. Earlier this month, my Adolescent Development class attended a workshop on transgender teens run by Outright Vermont , a local organization that aims to build safe environments for LGBTQ+ teens. Knowing that my future students will be members or know members of the LGBTQ+ community, I was extremely excited to learn more about transgender teens. Even more, I was eager to learn how I can make my future classroom a safe and welcoming space for all of my students. Source: http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/lgbt-rainbow-flag_100375401_m.jpg Rather than post a lengthy description of the workshop and how I plan to nurture a tolerant and accepting classroom in the future, I decided to post a poem I wrote in response to the workshop instead. I think the most important thing I learned at the workshop is that

Wow. March was a hectic month. Between classwork, homework, and life in general; I admit that the last thing I wanted to do on my brief semester break was tear through a book. As I settled into the extremely uncomfortable bus seat for my five hour ride back to school, I reluctantly opened Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda .  I knew there was a lot of hype about the book and the new movie, but I also knew that I am typically underwhelmed by young adult books the media takes by storm. I knew it was probably a cute story, but it couldn't be as good as everyone says. Let me tell you, I was dead wrong. Wonderfully sarcastic, completely awkward, and surprisingly clever, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda   follows sixteen- year- old Simon Spier and his group of friends as they stumble through their junior year of high school. Author Becky Albertalli tackles everything from homosexuality and bullying to cliques, new kids, and crushes-- and she does so in a seamless, almost entir