The Collegial Discussion

Although this post is titled The Collegial Discussion, it was mostly about me listening and not discussing at all.

The visitor

I recently had an educational assistant in one of the most diverse classes of my day. It’s full of neurodivergent children, children with cognitive complexities, and some English as an additional language students—some of whom do not speak a word of English except for good morning, I’m fine thank you, and yes. With this kind of diversity, it was great to have an extra person in the room. He was introduced as Mr. V.

The kids got right to work. Mr. V circulated, like a good EA would. Towards the end of class, he was leaning over a child’s notebook helping him with calculus. This teen was from China. His language was weak but he was advanced in math. However, a question stumped him. Mr. V was helping. I saw this and asked, “Mr. V are you trained as a math teacher?”

He replied. “No, I am an engineer.” Wow. This was an answer I did not expect. “Yuxan, you are so lucky to have an engineer help you!” The bell rang. The class ended. I had to know more. “Mr. V, what kind of engineer are you?” And that’s where the conversation hooked me.

Mr. V’s answer

“Actually, I am an aeronautic engineer. I have a Master’s degree in Aeronautic Engineering. However, I feel that the biggest flaw of engineering is that it is not holistic. Engineers create, develop, engineer, if you will, but with very little attention to the environment, they do these things in. Engineering has the biggest impact on our world. It is very sad to separate Engineering from our biodiverse world.” I stood there amazed. And maybe my mouth was open (like in awe). But, bless Mr. V. He kept going. “I realized that the place where one can elicit change is directly in education. This is, however slow, the most effective way to change the planet—to see the world holistically—finding connections between our inventions and our ecosystems. Education, I believe is the place to start. So, I got my Masters in Education, because I believe in the power of it, and the influence we can have on children. They can make the changes.” I think by this point my mouth was probably closed, but for sure my forehead was creased and I was nodding in the way that a person does when a) they are taking in information b) believe what they are hearing is truth.

Mr. V is so right

Mr. V is a problem solver. He understands where to look for solutions. He’s coming from a very spiritual place in that he sees the world holistically and cares about what may happen to the planet (due to the sloppiness of engineering). He understands that the future is truly in the hands of the children and that ultimately they have the power if they want it. He believes that the education system despite the issues is the most malleable for learning and change. “Of course, this won’t happen overnight but I believe it’s worth it.”

Someone hire this guy

I asked a few more questions and learned that he worked with small children in a daycare, moved to elementary schools, and is now working in high schools. I honestly think he is doing research. He is studying youth and educational systems.

Gratitude

I’m so grateful I asked him if he was a teacher. I’m glad I asked him what kind of engineer he was. I’m glad I continued to interview him. I’m glad I’m a nosy Nelly and for a few minutes stepped out of myself to connect with another human being. It was a gift I didn’t know I needed.

Ted Talks

Can we give this man a Ted Talk, please!?? Pretty please? I feel absolutely blessed that I even had those few moments with him to consider his elevator pitch about engineering the environment and education. He’s had me thinking ever since and that, my friends, is a great teacher.

I hope he comes back to work in my classroom…but moreover, I hope he gets hired to make the changes he truly believes in.

As always, thank you for reading lovelies.