Today, I had the pleasure of attending Edcamp at Manhattanville College (my current college). Edcamp is an organization dedicated to providing “free, organic, un-conferences to empower educators to maximize professional learning experiences and peer networks.” Link to the website here. I had so much fun, and while I didn’t take too many photos, I am happy to share my experience with the conference here on my blog.
The conference had 3 sessions with various topics that we could attend. What was absolutely fantastic about the sessions was that the topics were picked up by people who wanted to facilitate and participate in discussions in those subjects. The sessions felt organic; people were encouraged to participate and give their thoughts. Even as a student, I was able to give feedback as well as ask my colleagues questions about the topic of the session. Everyone was friendly and were more than happy to answer my questions, and I even befriended some really awesome teachers that I now look up to in the teaching world.
The first session I attended dealt with building relationships with students; Some key notes that I jotted during the session included: “Connect with Parent;” “Get to know your students and understand their stories with compassion and empathy;” Very useful notes to keep in mind. Building relationships with students is something I believe that ALL educators should be doing every year, with every student that comes into your classroom. I learned some techniques to start building that relationship with students.
The second session I attended was about “Mindfulness in the Classroom.” The facilitator, Maria Desousa, led a discussion about mindfulness and some techniques to raise mindfulness in the classroom. Mindfulness, in her words, means, “to be aware with no judgement of others.”Part of the discussion was to open our minds to the notion that being happy in classrooms facilitates better learning environments. She taught us a very cool meditation practice to help students become aware and stay mindful. In her words, there are 3 steps in this meditation:
- Mindful body: Keep your posture straight but not rigid. Close your eyes and take deep breaths.
- Mindful Listening: Listen to your body’s breathing. Be aware of what is surrounding you.
- Mindful Breathing: Keep an “anchor” for your meditating point. Whether it be your breathing, the sounds that you hear, try to stay “aware” and let your energy flow through you.
It’s ok to have thoughts while doing this meditation. Try to remember your anchor and focus on it, becoming aware. I tried this practice during the session, and I found myself to be filled with mindfulness. This is a practice that I would love to try and incorporate in my future classroom and in my life.
Session three was, by far, my favorite one of the day; well, every session was phenomenal. This session, in particular, opened my mind to facilitating meaningful discussions with students about tough topics. Topics like the rallies in Charlottesville, DACA, and other controversial topics should be discussed in the classroom for the benefit of the students; they should be engaged with what is going on in the world, and whatever their stance on any issue, their opinion is valid, and they are a right to discuss it. I learned about some books that deal with tough topics. They are definitely going my reading list!
- All American Boys byJason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman
- American Street by Ibi Zoboi
I learned so much by attending EdcampMville 2017. If you are an educator, please make an effort to attend an Edcamp; not only are you getting information that can help you in the classroom, but the people you meet, connect and network with are so worth the experience. As a future educator, I had such an amazing experience seeing my peers, meeting new colleagues and bettering ourselves for our students. Thank you for reading. Til next time!
The BookMarking 