The process of the Edtalk project was daunting at first. I feel like the introduction of this project was very much my “this is college” moment. In hindsight, this project was quite simple, just looking at the actual work load. But being sort of thrown into this within the first few days of classes was a jump! I was stressed at the fact of just reading a whole book in a weekend.
Getting past the initial shock it was- I enjoyed this project a lot! I really liked the book I ended up getting. For me and I think my partner, it was easy for us to see our characters in the eyes of a student, and at the perspective of us being the same age. Making the questions and our video was a simple process. We had really no trouble with thinking of things to say or elaborate on.
What really made this project enjoyable for me was when we presented. Sure the actual standing in front of the class was a little scary, but public speaking has never really been an issue with me. What made the presentation memorable for me was the response we got. Seeing the vulnerable sides of my classmates-that I truly do not know, was beautiful, and comforting. College has been scary and new! And in the midst of figuring out what to do, I lost sight of the fact that these people around me also came from totally different and unique places with their own stories. Hearing about what our classmates have personally gone through was honestly grounding for me. Although all their stories were anxiety inducing and sensitive topics, it made me feel connected.
I think that what I can take away from this experience going into my teaching journey, would be to know when to allow vulnerability. It can connect people, make people feel seen, understood, and like a normal person. Education sometimes I think gets too stuck on whats in the book. Being able to have real conversations and connection is where, in my eyes, real learning can come from. Now obviously there is going to be a time and place for these situations- but I can argue that (for example) the conversation that my group had with the class about those sensitive topics, will be what people remember the most about this project. At least it will be for me. It was interesting hearing other groups stories and Im not trying to belittle them- but I think ours struck a nerve, and gave a lot of insight into everyone about personal emotions, that unfortunately a lot of us shared.
