On What I think learning looks like

One of the most embarrassing things about not owning my own vehicle is that I have to ride the bus in the mornings, and the bus is usually packed with San Diego High School students. When they spot me there are two usual reactions: One is for them to turn away from me without greeting me as if I were a parent trying to invade their privacy, and the second is for them to go right towards me and begin awkward conversations with me. Putting the awkwardness aside, I enjoy getting to know my students on a more personal level and I love that they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with me.

One morning, I found a seat at the back of the bus, and I noticed two girls giggling over a book. I recognized one of the girls because she is in one of the classes where I am currently completing my practicum. They were both sitting next to each other at first. The student I work with was reading a book and her friend, sitting next to her, was listening to her iPod. The girl reading the book, couldn’t squelch a giggle so she poked her friend to get her attention. Her friend took her left earphone out and looked at the page where he friend was pointing at. They read the book together on their way to school, giggling about its content. About three stops before the high school, I slightly interrupted them, “Hey, I was wondering if it would be OK for me to take a picture of you girls. You see, one of my teachers asked me once what I think learning looks like, and I couldn’t help but notice how you are both reading the book together and giggling about it.” Although I can tell they thought it was a weird request, they allowed me to take a picture of them reading the book. The awkward thing is that when I finally did take a picture of them reading, the essence of learning was already gone, mainly because I had interrupted the genuine thing. I was still very happy to be able to freeze it in time though.