ACCESS
The teacher has exposed students and their families to people, programs, resources, and connections that can open doors for them, and they are able to navigate and access those opportunities.
In order to be a truly transformational educator, it is imperative that I expose students to opportunities that open doors for them and expand their horizons - academically and holistically. After all, a child's education is not measured by their mastery of merely traditional academics - reading, writing, and arithmetic - but rather an application of those understandings within the context of their own lives.
By seeking out and bringing about these otherwise nonexistent resources, speakers, and activities, I am providing my students with learning that is not only relevant in their future academic endeavors, but also in real world challenges that they will inevitably face throughout their lives. Due to these resources, students will make meaningful connections between their learning in my classroom and the continued practice of being lifelong learners long after they have left it.
COMEDIAN
For the culmination of our figurative language unit, I reached out to a comedian to perform the first comedy show that any of my students had experienced. In doing so, I ensured student investment in, and a deeper understanding of, an essential fifth grade knowledge expectation while facilitating a more positive association with academics for many students.
By providing my students with their first comedy show, I facilitated a deeper understanding of, and positive association with, nuances of the English language, as well as how students can utilize their own understanding of it in future occupational endeavors. After students attended this show, they had a much better grasp on how it is possible to apply ones talents and interests into future job prospects. Students reflected: "he gets PAID to do this? How do I get that job?" By merely opening up this idea into the realm of possibilities for students, I provided them with access to important understandings that would not have been realized through traditional education alone.
​
In ensuring that my students are exposed to a variety of cultures, specifically Native American tribes who live near the community in which students reside, I am providing my students with the societal and cultural understandings that will continue their progression into well informed, critically-thinking members of our society.