Maddy Faga: Kids are Kids

It’s hard to believe I only have one more month to call the unique city of Denver home. Three months ago, I would have told you how nervous I was to move out here. With only weeks left, I am now realizing how much I don’t want to leave my students, the mountains, or Sliceworks Pizza behind. 

I am currently finishing up my student teaching in Denver. I have had the amazing opportunity to learn from two experienced teachers at two public schools on the south side of Denver. My first placement was at Lincoln Elementary in a special education classroom for Kindergarten - 5th graders. I am currently finishing up my second placement at University Park Elementary in a 4th grade classroom.

I’m not sure I could ever explain all I have learned about teaching, or myself, in the last 11 weeks. I can tell you that my students have taught me more than I could ever learn from a textbook. As a teacher, you think that you will teach your students, but I know they have taught me more, not only about teaching, but about life in general. Moving to Denver and completing my student teaching here has given me an urban teaching experience, but what I have learned most is that whether you are in small town Iowa, or the Mile High City, kids are kids. Sure, they come from different backgrounds, and have different experiences, but before anything else, they are kids who are trying to learn about the world they live in. Building relationships with students who have experiences different than my own has been such an amazing opportunity, and I will continue to do this in my future classroom.

I would say the most rewarding parts of my experience in Colorado have been building relationships with my students in the short time I have been here, watching my students desire to learn about things around them, and seeing students’ growth in just 7 weeks. As I finish my time here in Denver, I am looking forward to teaching in Colorado after I graduate, and continuing to learn from everyone around me!

Audrey List: Witnessing Privilege First Hand

I have always been aware of my privilege as a white cisgender female, but coming to Denver has made me realize just how lucky I am. My name is Audrey List, and I am a senior social work student interning at 9 to 5 Colorado, a policy advocacy nonprofit focused on issues facing working women and families. As a social worker, I am constantly looking at my privilege compared to the clientele that I work with. I can afford stable housing, could easily get a job, attend any school I want, go into any store I wanted to, and have no problem putting food on the table. Nowhere is this more evident than my own office building. I am the only white female on staff at 9 to 5; everyone else is a woman of color who has experienced oppression first hand. We share our office space with a lawyer’s office of all white males. There have been many difficulties in working with these individuals because they treat my coworkers with bias. Last week they parked in one of my coworker’s parking spots and would not answer their door. The only way the car got moved was when I, the white female, went and talked to them. This is unacceptable and frustrating to know that individuals who are supposed to protect the innocent and vulnerable are treating people of color this way. 

Another instance where I recognized how privileged I am is learning client stories related to their severe maintenance issues. 9 to 5 is working on passing a bill that protects the rights of tenants with severe maintenance issues like lack of hot water, no heat and many others. When talking to one client, I learned that she had been living without heat for three weeks and all the maintenance people did was give her a space heater to heat her entire 2-bedroom apartment. With a 6-month old baby, this heating issue quickly turned into a health issue. Both mother and daughter were developing cold-like symptoms due to their lack of adequate heating. To make matters worse, her rent was raised to an unaffordable rate and her ex-boyfriend tried to beat her up in the parking lot. I cannot imagine living under these conditions and as a social worker, I have done my best to help find resources for this women and her child. Tenants should be able to have a warm, safe home. After leaving her freezing apartment, I was never so grateful for my apartment where the heat was maintained, the water worked and I felt safe. Being out in Denver has opened my eyes to how some people are forced to live and has strengthened my passion for wanting to advocate with and for them. I hope to bring these new skills back to Iowa and on to my graduate degree program in Milwaukee, WI. Affordable housing is an issue in every major city, and I look forward to seeing how I can use my background in social work and my resources based in privilege to help the most vulnerable populations.