Rationale
Within my student population, teaching allows me to witness the challenges related to immigrant identity confusion. I want to help facilitate a transformative journey for my students by increasing awareness, through familial interviewing, reading student immigrant exemplars, sit-spot journaling in nature, reading poetry and prose about nature, and writing a self-authoring reflective story. The unit can be easily adapted and utilized by various content area teachers and spans over a 4–5-week period.
In my class students can be metaphorically likened to "Tides," washed up upon a new shore in a foreign land.2 They bid farewell to extended family, familiar cuisines, and the sights and sounds of their homeland. My students’ family history of immigrating to the United States constitutes an integral part of their identities. Letting go of their native world is a significant challenge. I have observed them struggling with fitting in with the school community. Teens are forming self-identity and many kids do not want to stand out. In our middle school system, ELD students often are awkwardly feeling like they are the "low man on the totem pole," since they are struggling to communicate and find their place among their peers. I have witnessed them expressing shame by making disparaging, degrading, or racially slurred remarks about their identity and other ELD students. Adapting to a new language, culture and way of life can become a formidable task.3
The immigrant experience often propels these teen students to mature rapidly, leaving behind their innocence as they strive to assimilate into American culture and navigate the diverse environment at Monroe. In this process, they may inadvertently suppress crucial aspects of their native identity. This unit aims to facilitate healing and self-awareness by slowing down in nature. The culminating project will involve each student crafting and narrating a personal journey and recording their stories for private enjoyment or sharing them with others. To celebrate the completion of the unit, we will organize a field trip to Oxley Nature Center, where students can explore wooded trails and connect with their fellow ELD classmates.
The focus on self-awareness, healing, and understanding one’s identity is invaluable for all students in their educational journey. As we embrace the beauty of natural spaces, students will have an opportunity to slow down, fostering a deeper sense of belonging, awareness, and wonder of elements in nature that they enjoy.
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