JBSI - Day 6

Theme: Student engagement through experience: the power of being on-site with the Juno Beach Centre's tools
Where: Juno Beach Centre
Questions/Considerations:
Getting students to better appreciate the scope of what was achieved on D-Day.
Other Questions:
How well does the JBC tell the story of D-Day for Canadians?
As the Vimy Memorial is to the First World War, the JBC is to the Second World War - is that a fair/accurate statement?
Where can the JBC fit into your teaching practice ... now that you see it?


OK, the questions above are all great questions, and I have thought about them and am working on coming up with my own responses to them, but I'm going to write about something else that challenged me today.
A little overview of the day first: We arrived at Juno Beach Centre, had a guided tour (with a very good guide), had a brief museum visit, including a 12 minute amazing video at the end, then had a PD session with Neil Orford (twitter: @neilorford1) on bringing the JBC experience to our students.
Neil asked us a "minds on" question as we got started this morning for us to do a "think, pair, share".  It was something like: based on your experiences on your trip thus far, how will your teaching practice change?
At first I wasn't sure I had an answer.  I couldn't think of a significant change that I was planning on making based on my experience.  I've loved the experience; I've loved the stories and I will t new absolutely be taking these back, and I will share what I've seen and heard.  But that isn't new for me - that's how I always run my classes - sharing experiences.  But then  as we started to speak about how emotionally charged this week has been, I started questioning whether I would share that with my students.
Generally I am fairly open with my students.  I am willing to show my vulnerability about making mistakes, or not having all the answers.  I am willing to show emotion to my students when it is excitement, or joy, but I get really self-conscious when it comes to sharing tears, and some of these stories that I want to share are emotional and may make me tear up.  Am I willing to do that?  I think I have to be - it is part of the story.  It  is part of what will help make history alive.  It should also be part of a modelling process.  It's OK to be moved by something; it's OK to let others know something has moved you (alright, I mean me).
So my challenge this year will be to allow a fuller scope of emotions to show in my classes, and be OK being vulnerable one more way.