Our Narratives
So often we forget to take the time to hear the stories of those around us or even listen to our own stories.  When we do hear stories, it is usually the narrative of one person or one dominate group of people.  Our lives have been shaped by the stories we hear in school, throughout our childhood, and growing up whether through the media, social "norms" or books/magazines.  Our lives continue to be shaped by the stories we hear and allow the world to continue telling.

But what if we shared our stories so that we could learn from one another.  What if we became so confident in our own story that we knew how to better navigate the world?  What if we put enough stories together to help change the stories that are told over and over again in the school systems.

I am an early childhood educator on a mission to break down a system that is doing exactly what it was built to do- tell the stories of the dominant culture, favor certain groups of students, only see the world from one lens, and to cripple the genius that may be inside of our students simply because it does not fit the narrative that the dominant culture wants told.

I teach my students about the lives of different heroes who may look like them, relate to them, or inspire them.  I can not do this work alone without better understanding the many narratives of the world around me.

I am asking that you take the time to write your narrative.  There are two options here- tell me your story in your own words (including the questions asked below) or simply answer the questions below and let your narrative be read that way.

The information provided will be used to collect data and look at trends among different groups, to see where gaps are in the system, and most importantly to tell your story. *The information provided will most likely be compiled into a collection of narratives, a collection of your stories.
Thank you for participating.  We can not change the past but we can certainly use the stories of the past to better shape our future.
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Email *
Name- First and Last (or Initial of Last Name) *
Is it okay for me to include your real name in the collection of narratives and collection of data? *
Required
Preferred Pronoun *
How do you identify- sexual orientation (please provide as much or as little detail as you would like) *
How do you identify- race/ ethnicity (please provide as much or as little detail as you would like) *
Where did you attend school- country, state, county (please list all locations where you attended elementary, middle, and high school) *
Age (Birthday) *
What was the "make up" of your family as a child? (Two parent home, single parent, traveled between homes, raised by a family member, two moms, two dads, raised by a family friend, etc)
When was the first time that you remember seeing yourself reflected in the material that you were learning- based on your sexual orientation? How did that impact you?
When was the first time that you remember seeing yourself reflected in the material that you were learning- based on your pronoun preference? How did that impact you?
When was the first time that you remember seeing yourself reflected in the material that you were learning- based on your race/ethnicity? How did that impact you?
Do you feel you were able to connect with the books, curriculum and other learning materials that were provided to you throughout your education? How did seeing yourself reflected or not seeing yourself reflected impact your school experience?
Do you remember seeing yourself reflected in the media? How did you feel you were portrayed? How did that make you feel?
Was there a specific teacher, class, or club that made you feel safe to be who you are or explore who you wanted to become? If yes, how did that teacher or class help shape you?
Were there classes, teachers, or other school experiences in which you felt you had to hide who you were/are? How do you think those experiences impacted you?
Did you ever face any stereotypes, comments, or lowered/ higher expectations based on your appearance or who your teachers/classmates believed you to be? How did this impact your growth in your identity?
Do you think that a different schooling experience may have shaped you differently? What would have made the experience better/ worse?
If you went back into the school system now, what would be the one hope for your younger self? What would you hope to see, experience, or learn about that would make you feel more confidently you?
In this space you are free to write your own story and use the questions above as a guide or add any other information that you think is important to your story.
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