Enabling

This post is a quick and most inadequate shoutout to perhaps one of the kindest, smartest, and most caring teachers I have ever had the privilege of Learning from. At the very end of last school year, a bunch of us at the library got into a discussion on enablement - how best to teach someone self-confidence - and whether or not that falls under the responsibilities of a classroom teacher. At first, I wasn't so sure of my opinion on the subject but in thinking about it, my mind immediately went back to the eighth grade. I have always had this irrational fear of school cafeterias. And at eighth grade, as I slowly began to exit that awkward middle school stage of life (just kidding, I never left it), I had pretty much made up my mind that I would do anything in my power to not eat lunch in the cafeteria. In the past, that had involved staying in enrichment classrooms or the orchestra room, even my art teachers welcomed me despite my lack of artistic ability. But I also wasn't the only one who did this. There were a few of us stragglers and I guess you could say we formed our own little community because we are all still friends but anyway, the point is, eighth grade came around and we were at a loss. Our Tawasentha team of teachers consisted of two new teachers (one from the high school and one new to the district), one teacher going on medical leave for almost the entire school year, and one teacher who was busy preparing some of the most precise lessons I have ever been taught. So, with what seemed like no other option, we braved it and to the cafeteria we went... We lasted there for all of one week. And now, here is where the story really begins. Enter Susan Yagielski - a math genius with the excitement of a million passionate people, a teacher voice to rival McManus', a patience that never runs out (no matter how bad you are at algebra) and truly, a heart of gold. So one day towards the beginning of the year, I struggled with something we had learned in math class which was right before our lunch mod. Like with any other class, I stayed behind and thought I could just ask a few quick questions during the passing time before things got busy and I forgot to get help. Also like any other class, they were definitely not "quick" questions. Maybe it was my inability to comprehend algebraic concepts or Ms. Yagielski's adept craft in color coding on a whiteboard, but her room became one that I knew I could go to at any time and understand something I was having trouble with. To be honest, I'm not sure if it was that day when Ms. Yagielski welcomed me to eat lunch with her in the classroom or if it was one of the following days, the minitiae escapes me. But what I do remember very clearly is that she wasn't just interested in getting me and the others who experienced the same gesture of kindness up to a mastery of algebra (although the others didn't really need help, mostly just me), she was also concerned about getting to know us as people. She concerned herself with hearing our opinions on whatever middle school drama was occurring, big world events, and most of all, she was just one of those teachers you knew you could count on to listen to, advise, sometimes reprimand, and always help you, no matter how badly you had screwed up or whatever was going on. Over time, the seven or so regulars of us, we became Ms. Yagielski's "lunch bunch." We found solace in her classroom and there was no doubt in the community that had formed, in the bonds that had evolved. So, what does this have to do with enablement? Well, as we discussed the topic, I thought back to eighth grade and this experience because I knew for certain that what Ms. Yagielski had offered us, enabled and empowered me. I'm not sure how or what happened, but her attention to our opinions, our biggest dreams, and our nerdy struggles gave us tools that still carry us today. That's why I have invited Ms. Yagielski to our so far 2 EMC symposiums, its because I know that without her I probably would never have pursued this class and much less would I get up on that stage to give a speech each year. I owe quite a bit to Ms. Yagielski for it was in my fear of the cafeteria that she welcomed me but it was in a great increase of skills that she sent me off. When I think about this, I recognize that the way we learn and gain even more enablement in EMC is very different. If I, you know, was maybe still just a little bit afraid of the cafeteria, Bott and Gergen would probably lock me out of the library and force me to waltz right in there. Just as occurred with the phone interviews in my first year of EMC (long story, don't ask). But anyway, what I want to say is that these two methods don't contradict each other, they are simply consecutive steps in the process. What Ms. Yagielski gave my eighth grade self was the necessary foundation for enduring what I would require throughout high school to grow even more in this respect. So do I think that enabling students is a classroom teacher's responsibility? Absolutely. If we're seeing each other every day, we better get something out of it more than just a vocabulary list or a fulfillment of common core standards. Now, one of the nuances, do I believe there is one proven method for someone to go about doing this? No. But I do think there is a level of discernment to be had in various situations. If Ms. Yagielski had tried forcing me to eat in the cafeteria, I might have gotten used to it and overcome that fear, but I probably would have had some not nice things to say about her, because that's not what I needed in eighth grade. And these days, it was only through the constant urging that I complete a phone interview for better results that I actually learned how to do so. The point is, no matter where you start, there is always room to grow, even in different circumstances and different methods. It's not a matter of one or the other because there isn't one single correct answer. Anyway, that's all I've got and I'm not sure how this relates to the brain but the biggest of thanks to Ms. Yagielski and her teaching of enablement.