Post by Teachers in Their Power

(8/8) “The more time I spend in the classroom, the more I realize that this work isn’t just about what I give to my students. It’s also about what I’m learning from them. They reflect things back to me I might not have seen otherwise. My assumptions. My reactions. My habits. The ways in which I show up, especially in moments that feel challenging or uncomfortable. Teaching has a way of making you more aware, if you let it. It asks you to pause and sit with harder questions. Why did I respond that way? What am I bringing into this space? How do my own experiences shape what I see, and what might I be missing? Because every student walks into the classroom with their own story. And the way I meet them in that story matters. My students push me to do that. To confront the parts of myself that are still learning. To notice when I default to what’s familiar instead of what’s intentional. There’s no finish line with this work. No moment where you’ve fully arrived. Just a continual process of learning, unlearning, and adjusting. My students are growing every day. And if I’m doing this right… I am too.” –Elizabeth Wallin Teacher at Paramount Cottage Home Indianapolis Teaching Fellows, 2023 Cohort Indianapolis, IN #teachersintheirpower #educators #teachersoflinkedin teachersintheirpower.com