This I Believe

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.

This I Believe

by Julie Adams

I believe in community, the kind of community where people can calmly and academically, with understanding, share who they are. Based on this tenet, I believe students need to be exposed to texts that illustrate how people can work something out in a healthy manner. Many times, it seems like everyone in the world is shouting at one another and as a teacher, I don’t want to perpetuate that habit in my students. I’d like to show students how to problem-solve and work things out calmly and rationally, devoid of hatred.

Yes, it is healthy for an individual to write a poem or an essay or just a journal entry about something that weighs on them; however, it’s not always something that needs to be shared socially. Our habit of oversharing and insisting that our voice is always heard only creates noise and is not healthy but divisive. There are other ways and those ways shouldn’t involve shaming someone else or mocking them for making a misstep. No one is perfect. No one. All are welcome. All are valuable. We, the people, will disagree and that is to be expected. Let’s be friends with people who are different from us. I want to invite my students into a classroom that is accepting and friendly, not noisy with hate or criticism. 

I believe in community.

Author

Lifelong Oklahoma educator, Julie Adams, teaches high school English for Mid-Del Schools. She graduated from Newkirk High School, earned her bachelor’s from the University of Central Oklahoma, and her master’s from East Central University. She finds joy in sharing literature with students and watching them grow as readers and writers.