Culture Shock

Cultures come in forms of food, religion, fashion, and even education. I haven't been in a elementary classroom setting in 6 to 7 years. Not only has it been awhile but when I was there I was 11 years old and younger. The mindset from 11 to 18 is drastic...However, my precautions were ever present at the beginning of this journey. I found myself worrying about if the 9 to 10 year-old students I was meeting would like me. Almost double their age, my anxious thoughts made me feel silly. On my first day at one of the schools I'm working with, I walked into the classroom wearing a floral dress and flats. I put a bit of thought into my "teacher outfit." As soon as I walked into the room, the student who opened the door for me looked down and back up at me with the sweetest grin: "I love your shoes!" This surprised me because they were just a pair of black flats, and this young girl was wearing the most rock star metallic boots! Gleaming back, I vocalized how much I liked her shoes. As I waited for class to begin, another student leaned to her teacher, eyes wide with an audible whisper, "She looks like Taylor Swift!" I chuckled, especially because of the way she tried to hide her observation behind hands which didn't get the message of concealment. But I also laughed because of the kindness and love I felt from these students before even introducing myself. By the end of my introduction and first lesson, I was feeling a fulfillment that I haven't felt before. It was a feeling of accomplishment and love and contribution and pride. The pride mostly came from how impressed I was with the students and all of their previous knowledge about composting. It was a feeling of

hope.