I Believe We Are ALL Learners

As part of the Oklahoma State University’s Writing Project Advanced Summer Institute, teacher consultants crafted “This I Believe” essays inspired by the organization’s call for people to write and share essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. At a time when teachers’ values are being called into question, teachers have consented to share their essays to shape the public narrative on who teachers are and what they believe. If you wish to share yours, reach out to Sarah Donovan or write your essay (or poem) in the comment section below.

I Believe We Are ALL Learners

by Carolina Lopez

I believe in reciprocal learning: The kind that makes everyone in the room a learner–even myself as the teacher. The kind that makes the student a teacher. You may ask: “Teacher of whom?” Teacher of the teacher, teacher of their peers–even teachers to themselves. 

The kind that lets students guide the lesson that will make an entire group of humans work towards the same goal: Build a community of learners.

Reciprocal learning is about finding knowledge within ourselves. It’s recognizing we are not right the whole time–even if we are the person “in-charge” of the room–because I also believe in constructive dialogue. I believe reciprocity should weave through the dialogue between the teacher and the student. 

On Teacher’s Day, my mom shared with me a quote from an anonymous author: “Teachers make all other professions possible” Since then, this quote has stuck to me. I want to make sure there’s something inside of me that makes students’ worth their time and space with me. Maybe I will be that teacher they can come up to. Maybe I’ll keep making mistakes–even if I thought I knew it all. But I’ll know that from every single student, I’ll come back to a memory where I’ve naturally learned from them and I’ll remind myself that the teacher was them, not me.

Carolina López is from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. She is a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Language, Literacy and Culture at Oklahoma State University. She is also a graduate assistant in the School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences. Her experience teaching in Mexico, China, and the U.S. has nurtured her research interests in writing practices. When Carolina is not doing doctoral work or teaching, you may find her kayaking at the lake or walking her adorable Pomsky, named Mila.