Honey Bee Vision

My topic ideas have been all over the place. I wanted to focus on something I’ve both experienced and feel passionate about. I realized that my graduate assistantship space, ALLIED, has created an impactful environment for the students and for me as well.

What’s ALLIED?

The Advanced Learning and Leadership Initiative for Educational Diversity (ALLIED) is a space where students meet once a week to enjoy a free lunch, connect with one another, and share a safe environment where they can express themselves emotionally and be their authentic selves. Each week, RIC staff members join us to share their educational journeys and describe their roles at RIC.

We also have a mascot, a bee! Just like in Youth Development, we do a “buzz in.” The story behind the bee is especially meaningful: bees have small wings that, according to science, should make it impossible for them to fly — yet they do. The bee represents the spirit of ALLIED — perseverance, community, and the power to rise beyond expectations.

I have narrowed it down to two questions: 

1. What would an ALLIED-inspired space look and feel like in an urban high school, a space where students can belong, lead, and express who they truly are?

2. How can an ALLIED-inspired space be created in an urban high school to give students a sense of belonging, help them grow as leaders, and allow them to show up as their full, authentic selves?

Imagine having a space where students can emotionally open up and check in with themselves and others. In class, I’ve mentioned that I work in a high school,  one that is, unfortunately, systemically broken. Sadly, so many negative events have occurred, yet the Woonsocket community has not taken meaningful action until the following school year. Students often share that there isn’t a space where they can sit in community, feel safe, and decompress. Although there is a wellness room, it is poorly advertised and rarely utilized by students.

My vision is to bring ALLIED to Woonsocket High School, incorporating it during the school day — whether during lunch or advisory periods. Students could enjoy lunch or snacks while engaging in meaningful conversations and activities. We could invite guests such as guidance counselors, teachers, principals, and other school staff or community partners to share their educational journeys and the roles they play within the school. I would love for this to take place in the Wellness Room or in the small room near the cafeteria, as both are easily accessible and welcoming spaces. I believe this initiative would have a powerful impact on students, just as it has for college students.

My vision for this would be kinda cool, creating a digital vision board. Not only a vision board, but also conduct interviews. I would like to interview current ALLIED students and recent graduating ones, and I would like to interview my current high school students and recent graduate students. I do want to represent my vision through art. I am not an artistic person; however, I like to visualize ideas through art. 

 

Damage to Desire

 

There are a couple of key points that Tuck makes. First, damage-centered research is a form of research I have often observed in various urban school settings, including the Providence Public School District. Tuck defines damage-centered research as an approach that represents communities only through their struggles, pain, and deficits. This framework is visible in PPSD in their data collection. 

Most of the district’s progress is measured through their qualitative research; dropout rates, standardized test scores, absenteeism, and graduation statistics, numbers that highlight failure rather than possibility. These numbers portray the symbolic notion that students, families, and the community are broken. Although the numbers can provide proof that the community needs a significant amount of resources to create this change, this does not show the root of what is beneath the ground. These types of researchers do not look at the other factors such as the art, the talent, leadership and creativity that the community has to offer. Applying Tucker’s thoughts of theory of change, PPSD researchers are looking at the damage and this will be a flawed continuation trying to fix it. 

“Desire is the song about walking through the storm, a song that recognizes rather than denies that pain doubtlessly lies ahead.” (11, Tuck)  This quote reminds me of the quote by Vivian Greene, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain" There is always beauty in disasters. Tuck references desire as an alternative way of damage centered research. Desire is about the pain but also the possibility. True care, healing, and research must recognize pain without being defined by it.

This collage is how interpreted this letter, images of damage centered research and how desired research would look in communities. I also added an image of capitalism because I view the idea of damage centered research as a capitalistic approach. The worse the community is doing the more money the district collects. 

I found this diagram online. This is an image that represents the idea of damage to desire. “Studies” leads to data, charts, and clients. This reflects what Tuck critiques: research that defines communities primarily by their deficits, pain, and problems. “Stories” leads to more of an impactful and meaningful change;  the ability to build and fix things. 

After reading Tuck’s letter it was a fresh reminder to look underneath the damage, the root behind it all, look for the sun behind the dark clouds, and find beauty in pain. When conducting my research for my capstone, looking at the information that will be collected should not all be negative, there is desire behind the research.

What do you do as an educator that can't be measured?

As I was reading this, I could hear Victoria's voice and laughter through her text. What an amazing read! 

The question is: What do you do as an educator that can't be measured? This is a great question to ask an educator; it prompts you to think.  Teaching isn't always about the measurable outcomes, grades, numbers, and or statistics. The immeasurable outcomes that come with teaching, such as radical care, compassion, and love. 

This is such a poetic research; teaching involves amazing stories through art.

After reading this article, I realized that most of the things I do can't be measured, whether in my personal life or work life. 

In my free time, I volunteer my time teaching Latin dance to young humans, starting at age 4 years old all the way to 18. We usually practice dance once or twice a week. I go in, and we rehearse the same dance for each performance. I always saw myself as just their dance teacher, just another adult educating them on a new skill. Most of the girls in the group are fairly new and have never danced before and especially in front of a large audience. I have noticed the amount of confidence, independence, and professionalism they have built. I remember that for one of the performances, audience members would say 'Good job' as they exited the stage. I overheard someone say they are very polite and disciplined. I was nearly shocked because I have always reminded them that they are sharing a gift to the world and should forever be grateful. With each performance, I can see their faces light up and fill with joy to share their Latin culture with others. 

Not so in my free time, I am a college advisor at a high school. In this role, I have gained so much insight about how adults view young adults and how young adults are not valued in some of their educational spaces. I can mostly relate to some of my students when they share their educational journey. Teachers and the school system really set the bar high for them and judge them by their grades. When students sit in my chair, tell me what they want to be in the future, and say, “ I don't think I will ever become that because my grades are not good enough, which means I am not good enough.” I say, why not? You never know if you do not try. I share my high school story, I was not the honor roll kid, and I tell them about my college experience. But the bad parts of my educational journey did not stop me from getting to where I am today. If my grades mattered in life, I would not be receiving my second master's. I assure my students that nothing is impossible. I remind them that knowing more than one language is a superpower, and having immigrant parents represents courage. I provide snacks and water for my students. I make sure they are fed and hydrated to have a successful learning day. I also show radical care through showing up to their athletic games, seeing their face light up, and hearing Miss you came to support us brings me joy. 

An additional story, I did my teaching practicum at the high school where I work for my TESOL program. The class was an MLL classroom. Most of the students spoke Spanish in the classroom, the teacher predominantly spoke English, and didn't have much to relate to the students. I remember I was teaching a lesson on Romeo and Juliet, and some students struggled with the text and instructions. I related the text to something they knew in the Spanish pop culture. I saw their frustration in their face, some saying they wished they didn't know Spanish. I reassure them that their hard work will officially pay off. I can relate. I remember at the end of my term, one of the students approached me and said they hoped I would become a teacher because they needed more Spanish-speaking teachers in MLL classrooms. 

Qualitative vs Quanative

Qualitative:

According to ChatGPT, qualitative research involves exploring how and why something happens. This type of research focuses on images, words, and observations rather than numbers. The purpose of qualitative research is to understand experiences and meaning by being part of the observation process.

In the article Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods, the author mentions that generalizability is not the main goal. I conducted several qualitative research projects during my first master’s program. I earned my first master’s degree in Education, specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). As part of my coursework, I visited classrooms to observe students and teachers in action. I observed two different elementary schools at the same grade level and quickly realized how dynamically different the classroom environments were—student behavior, teacher approaches, peer interactions, and routines all varied greatly.

I began to study patterns in students’ language behavior. I noticed that students felt more comfortable speaking to their peers in their first language, often helping each other translate assignments and activities.

Quantitative:

According to ChatGPT, quantitative research involves collecting numerical data and analyzing it using mathematical, statistical, or computational techniques.

Quantitative research has never been my cup of tea when it comes to studying education. In my research on bilingual students, I had to use test scores to guide their learning and assignments. However, comparing students’ behavior through observation provided more insight than the numbers ever did. Looking at test scores alone did not help me achieve my goal of creating meaningful and engaging activities.

The article also argued that qualitative and quantitative methods can be used together to support one another.

From my past experience, I’ve learned that I gain much more understanding through qualitative research than quantitative. I’m not a “numbers” person unless I need concrete, statistical evidence for what I’m studying. But when it comes to understanding behavior and humanity, observation is the most effective approach for me.