Experiences make you who you are

My name is Connie Michael and I am a fifth grade teacher at Crow Agency Public School. I am the mother of two grown boys. One is a graduate of Montana State University and is a Wild Land Firefighter, while the other is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and is a Specialist in the United States Army. I have been married for twenty-seven years to a wonderful and very understanding man, he has to be to be married to a teacher.

I grew up in Seattle, Washington where I attended schools with very diverse populations. Growing up in the 70's and 80's was an interesting time. I see so many of the political issues our world is facing today simply repetition of unresolved issues of the past.

Different groups, same differences.

Our perspectives in life are developed thorugh the lense we have lived behind. I credit my teachers in allowing me to not realize the differences between myself and the others in my classroom. My elementary, middle, and high school was a mixture of nationalities and languages that were neither thought as a negative nor were they celebrated. I remember I never realized my friend Arzmellow was African American or my friend Rose had parents who didn't speak English. Although I never saw these as differences, I am sure they saw them selves in the the minority when compared to the student body as a whole. My graduating class was filled with immigrants from Cambodia and South Korea as well as India. I assume they had languages spoken at home which were very different from school as well as parents who did not understand the educational system of the United States, however accomodations were never made, leaving these kids to navigate on their own. This navigation often took them to a place where they would find friends in the same situations and the issue of Gangs became more prevalent. When your family doesn't understand your world, you find someone who does.

After high school I attended Washington State University to study Veterinarian Medicine, but knew my calling was in education and received my degree in Elementary Education. While beginning my journey in education I had the opportunity to become a part of the new Bilingual program at the University, to tackle the influx of immigrants in our schools. During my college years, I experienced my first brushes with discrimination. I was awarded a scholarship for university but it was taken away when they discovered a clerical error had marked me as Puerto Rican. My grades were considered outstanding until I was no longer a 'minority'. I began to question why a college does not have the same expectation for all, why would a nationality cause a person to not be able to achieve at the same level? Is this a policy in which the scholarships are given to an underserved population or is it an underlying message that students of color can not achieve at the same level as their anglo peers.

Students I graduated with varied in cultural backgrounds as well as socio-economic status. Some were the children of immigrants but even that was not a fair playing field. Society weighs in on what cultures they believe are inferior, or where they subtly are saying 'you aren't able to do this on your own'. My friend from Mexico had her education paid for, traveled the world, and has a Doctorate. While another friend immigrated from Germany with her mother who was a Holocaust survivor, and had to take out student loans. In addition a large number of students from India and Iraq were a part of my class and did not receive the same opportunities for financial support. This began my interest in race, society, equity, and equality.

When I began my Bilingual studies I again faced the question of why some receive and others don't simply based on the color of your skin, your last name, or your country of origin. Scholarships were given to students as incentives to study in this program. All students of hispanic heritage were given tuition wavers and housing grants, except myself and one other student, we we're both european decent. Again, I continue to ask what is our intent? Are these institutions providing Equity or Equality? And how can we know if the only information they have is a last name.

I have a degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Reading, Bilingual Education, and Special Education with an emphasis in Autism. I have a Masters Degree in Integrating the Multiple-Intelligences in Curriculum. I also am Nationally Board Certified in Early Childhood Education. All of my credentials have stemmed from the same question, am I providing a equitable education for my students and is my school. I see myself as an advocate for all students.

Teachers often say, 'I don't see color in my classroom', but they should see student differences and the layers the student's culture has built in order to develop the student before them. Each student comes from a unique background that has made them the way they are. Developing relationships while respecting who they are and where they come from is imperative in education.

My Special Education degree was spawned by two events in my life; first my youngest son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of three and I wanted to be able to advocate for him. In order to do that I needed to understand his condition as well as best practices. I was also driven to obtain my endorsement after teaching in bilingual classrooms for years and being told my students could not receive the support services they needed due to language. By going back to school to educate myself on strategies I was able to provide for my students. I have held the position of Literacy Coach and Math Coach in past buildings.

My education and awards I have received, have stemmed from my journey to make myself a better educator. No matter what culture or condition my students possess, I educate myself on the stumbling blocks so I can be a support and advocate for them. I am a reflective teacher who truly is a life long learner.

Since I moved to Montana I have attended Montana Behavior Institutes, Indian Education for All Conferences, and was selected to go to the Smithsonian American Indian Museum to represent my school and learn more about the history of Native Americans in our country while piloting an informational website. I addition I have taken numerous online classes to better inform my teaching and understand the unique needs of Native American students.

I taught for twenty-five years in Washington State, primarily in k-2 grades. For two years I held the position of Literacy Coach for my school as well as Math Instructional Coach. I received the Christa McAullife Award for Excellence in Education for leadership in my district. I taught in Bilingual classrooms, helping to continue students native language while also transitioning them into English. I have experience explaining my students growth to school board members who didn't' understand the difficulty an eight year old had with meeting standards in two languages. Non-English speakers were not given the luxury of misunderstanding and were held accountable for procedures and cultural traditions they did not understand.

I have taught at Crow Agency Public School in Crow Agency Montana for the last four years. I am a fifth grade teacher. While at Crow School I have received many grants and have had the opportunity to begin a small business with my students as well as a class Native garden. I have also received recognition for my work in science with a variety of awards:

​2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Finalist: for my work in bringing Native Knowledge into my science program.

2018 Sanford Inspiring Teacher Award : For being a student advocate while educating myself on mindfulness, growth mindset, and positve, reflective practices

2019 Montana Environmental Education Educator's Award: For bringing native plants and environmental issues into the classroom

2019 Bob Thompson Excellence in Energy Award: For takng an inquiry approach to learning

I believe students learn best when a teacher takes the time to develop relationships to find the learning styles and interests of their students. I believe if students don't believe they have a voice, I need to be their voice until they can find theirs. I have seen the injustice and the racist beliefs that can hold back students and I wonder if that is the intent of the policy. I thank the teachers of my past for giving me the fire to not stand for inequity in the classroom.

We can't do better until we know better...My mission is to help my school, my students and my parents know better.

Context Part II Connecting Self-Assessment to Your Context