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Well I would like to start by talking about the fact that this,
when I was asked to write the portfolio and I had to respond to the theme for this year of "Teaching for Tolerance,"
that I spent a bit of time thinking about that term "tolerance,"
and then really questioning,
"Is that what I'm teaching for, or is that the ceiling that I'm looking for?"
And we had some good conversations among the faculty;
we spent quite a bit of time talking about it.
In part, because we were all interested in seeing how could this be shaped,
especially in an effort to support my need to write the portfolio,
but nonetheless,
the faculty took some time together and it was really kind of fun to talk about.
And what we realized, especially after really seeking out definitions of "tolerance,"
that a lot of times, they use terms like "to allow" or "to put up with."
And I thought, "Is that really what we're hoping for,
maybe that's not the pinnacle, maybe that's not the ceiling."
So we started talking about other terms.
And as we did, we started to realize that maybe these things happen in a progression,
and that tolerance is a worthy goal,
but not as the final one, not the end one,
not the one that matters the most when it comes to really wanting students to
make a difference in the world and in their work.
So terms like, "acceptance" came up,
terms like "respect" came up, and "reverence."
We knew there was something about "reciprocity" that
had to be in-place for that "reverence," if we use that term, to happen.
So,
all of those, and I'm not even sure how they're ordered,
but I know that "reverence" seems to be that thing that happens after those others.
And that, those others can be targets on the path to, hopefully,
providing opportunities where students may make that shift.
So I'm not even sure "reverence" is the right word,
but I do know that there's stages, and it doesn't happen overnight.
And there's something very particular that goes on
when the right combination of experiences are available to students.
I think it is important to know that my thoughts about this happened
as a result of observing students,
and bearing witness to students, especially experiential things.
But my thoughts in my direction I feel,
in terms of supporting these kinds of things,
actually came because I saw it happen and started wondering,
"What is that?"
"Why is that?"
And, "Can I look at or try to figure out what was it about this experience,
this class, this combination of things, that led to what I'm witnessing?"
And so, that's the way it happened, for me as an instructor.
And probably the first and most important one was this experience at camp,
CAMP TEAM, which is a camp for our students alongside people in the community
who have developmental disabilities.
And we spend a 30-hour period of time together.
And the students act as leaders, but more importantly,
they're also there as co-campers;
they're all experiencing it together.
That was the first thing that happened,
and I was blown away by some of the comments in reflection as they were analyzing the experience for them.
And I did ask questions about,
"Did their perceptions of people with disabilities change as a result of this."
I did ask some prompting questions but,
I was quite amazed with what they came up with as significant about that experience.
So it was at that point that I wondered, "What happened here?"
"Why?"
And, "Can I find ways for that similar thing to happen in other classes that are really quite different?"
And so that was, if my memory serves me right,
that was kind of the beginning.
But I do know that I didn't come into this so much as a,
I guess a believer about all of it, as much as,
if I kept my eyes open,
I couldn't help but know that something happened for some of the students
and that it seemed pretty powerful.
And I wanted to understand it better,
so that I could maybe make it happen.