Attached to this blog post is my final project for education 402 and 401. It is the power point that accompanied my Capstone presentation. Also included in this blog post is the ‘script’ or ‘talking points’ I had established to accompany my presentation. Writing the script beforehand really helped me establish my points and solidify my metaphor. I have always considered myself better at writing than public speaking, and that my emotions are conveyed best through words. Although it is written informally, I believe it best captures what I had touched on in my presentation and encompasses who I am as an individual and educator. I also had coloured and drawn an anatomical heart which I taped to the sleeve of my shirt during the presentation to symbolize my metaphor. A photo of my heart is attached below at the end of this document as well. I was really proud of this presentation and received very supportive feedback from the panelists. If you are at all curious about Capstone presentations and would like more information about my metaphor- do not hesitate to reach out or comment below! I would be more than happy to discuss with you.
Rough Draft Script: “Okay, hi everyone, very nice to meet you all. I made a little power point to go alongside my Capstone presentation, and I also have a little script here to keep myself on track, so I donāt miss anything within my 8ā10-minute window! ā¦ I have never done anything like this before so bear with me.Ā
I also quickly wanted to do a land acknowledgement, I would like to humbly acknowledge that I am presenting to you today from the unceded traditional territory of the Lheidli Tenneh first nation where I have the privilege of living, learning, and exploring.
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So, a little bit about me: my name is Hannah Catherine Trombley, I am 23 years old and born and raised in Hazelton B.C. and growing up in a small northern Indigenous community really shaped who I am and what my belief system is so it will be brought up more than once in my presentation. I am a Gitxsan First Nation and a part of the wolf clan, and one of my favourite sayings in Gitxsanimaa is up in the corner there āluu amhl goodāyā which means my heart is happy. This phrase also happens to connect to my capstone.
As far as education goes, I have a diploma in Kinesiology because I originally wanted to go into physiotherapy, that changed when I realized I did not have a passion working with older individuals but instead had a passion working with youth. I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in English and minor in Psychology and now I find myself in the education program at UNBC as a teacher candidate.
One word I often use to describe myself is sensitive, and I will delve more into whyā¦
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As you can see, I am wearing my capstone.
The metaphor I chose was āI wear my heart on my sleeveā because I truly believe that encompasses who I am both as an individual and educator.
I am typically more creative than this and enjoy painting and drawing, however being in my 12th consecutive month of school I think itās fair to say allot of my creative energy has run out, but I did manage to cut and color this anatomical heart so here we are.
First, Iāll touch on how this metaphor represents and connects to myself, then I will dive into how it relates to the objectives of career education, and lastly the objectives of our diverse classrooms course.
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So, the metaphor and myself.
I chose this image because I have a family history of health care professionals. My great grandma, grandma, mom, and older sister are all nurses. I broke that chain and decided to be the first in my family to go into education. I share their same passion for caring and helping others, just in a different way.
When I mentioned earlier that I am sensitive, the image that comes to my mind is my heart- because I have a really big one (metaphorically speaking- my heart is of normal size physically donāt worry). I truly believe I was put on this earth to help and care for others. I am often very vulnerable and open with those close to my life and am a bit of an open book.
These traits have hurt me in the past, specifically in relationships, but I have learned how to put myself first.
My parents always told me growing up that they never truly had to punish me for bad choices or behaviours because I did it to myselfā¦ any mention of parental disappointment had me in tears (I honestly hope my children carry that trait to make my life easier as a parent)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Growing up in that small northern community also had a large impact on my current pedagogical beliefs. I experienced racism, oppression, and lots ofĀ suicide throughout my school years and could physically see the impacts of intergenerational trauma. I do plan to work in a rural community and use a trauma informed approach because I want to work with at risk youth and help them see there is more to life than what the reservation can provide for them.Ā
Before starting this program, I did not realize trauma informed practice and social emotional learning were now major pieces of the silent curriculum and they really spoke to me and my beliefs.
I am the kind of educator who places social and emotional well-being over curriculum content and requirements any day of the week. I want my students to feel loved, supported and cared for above all else because without those elements- they won’t be able to learn anyway.
I put my whole heart into education and what I get from this career truly replenishes me. Although some days are and will be harder than others, there is nothing else I could see myself doing that would give me the same sense of overwhelming fulfillment and gratitude.
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To connect my metaphor with career education was a bit of a tricky one, so be prepared for the analogies I am about to throw your way. First of all, change is constant, especially in the world of work. We are supposed to be preparing our students for jobs that do not even exist yet.
Blood flow is also constant, without it, you would literally be dead, and unable to contribute or walk within society and the world of work.
Having a heartbeat also symbolizes hope. Within the path of career education, one also hopes to find purpose in life. And hopefully that purpose is a true representation of your passions as an individual and is something you actually enjoy doing.
Lots of people end up in careers they hate and putting time and effort into something that will not give them fulfillment. I would rather be broke and fulfilled than rich and unfulfilled. Everyone says that you donāt end up teaching for the money so clearly, I am on the right career path.
Another aspect of career education is understanding your WHY- why are you here and what are you meant to do. This can take a long time to figure out. Following your heart is often the way most individuals describe figuring out this WHY. Each human heart serves the same physiological purpose, just like we all share the same human need of understanding our WHY and our purpose in life.
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Having your heart on your sleeve also reminded me of the circle of courage that was brought to our attention in career education and that all these areas are areas of universal growth for our students.
The circle of courage has a strong connection to oneās heart. The First Peopleās Principal of Learning I thought fit best with my metaphor was that āLearning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships and a sense of place)ā.
I placed emphasis on connectedness and place because both in life and in your career, you need to be able to make connections to either your colleagues, patients, customers, or students and have a sense of place amongst other individuals. These emotions stem from your heart. Everyone is on their own journey in life and will have their own authentic and unique experiences by following their own heart and their passions. The relationships they create along the way will help shape who they are. It is our job as educators to help students realize they are in charge of their own future and support them on this journey of self-discovery.
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Lastly the final points I want to touch on are how my metaphor fits with diverse classrooms and diversity in general. I believe Iāve already said it once before but following your heart fits with diversity because each person will have different aspirations, passions, or goals. Listening to and following your heart allows you to be your true self, and we are all authentic individuals.
No one student is the same and requires differentiated learning and support. Having an open-heart also fits with diversity because it allows a safe space for students to be accepting of one another and themselves. It is just as important to have an open-heart as an open mind because some students need a little bit more love than the others, and they are often the most difficult to form a relationship with.
My students will most definitely hurt my feelings, but I need to remember those actions or behaviors are more often than not a misplacement of emotions from trauma.
Having an open heart for me does mean I take things personally, and this is something I am still working on today because I am one to take ownership of the blame even if it isnāt my fault- so having an open-heart does have its challenges as well.
Another important aspect of wearing your heart on your sleeve is empathy- and teaching students to be empathetic. Being able to understand and share the feelings of others is so important. It creates a safe learning environment and space for self-expression. We could not have diversity without empathy.
Wearing my heart on my sleeve as an educator means I will provide equal and equitable opportunity for all my students and provide them with a supportive and inclusive environment for their minds and hearts to grow.
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With that I would like to say thank you all for listening to my capstone presentation. And this is a snapshot of my favorite quote by E.E cummings that fits alongside my metaphor that I wanted to include in my presentationā¦ because I feel like I will carry all my learnersā hearts within my own and on my sleeve.
Thank you”Ā
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