As a non traditional student going back to school after a number of years, I naturally felt anxiety. This anxiety centered around a number of issues: anxiety about meeting my fellow students, anxiety about going back to school, anxiety about entering a profession that seems, at least in part, to blame teachers for the problems within the educational . But I also felt a sense of exhilaration about being part of a new and challenging program.
The retreat itself was an eye opening experience. We had passionate and personal discussions about culture and racism and how to recognize those themes in culture and the educational setting.
It was a wonderful experience for it allowed me to really get to know my fellow classmates and our professors. It was also a time of self reflection and personal growth.
It was an enlightening experience that I will not forget. It will benefit me not only this year as we work in the culturally diverse community of Woodburn, Oregon but it will help me to better understand the society in which we live.
