Green Gal

Effective teachers, educators, and mentors learn with their students, and they never stop seeing themselves as students. They are my third grade teacher who was actively involved in her community and took the time to learn about our families, to bring our families into the classroom, and to bring our class into her family’s home at the end of the school year. They are the college instructor who admitted his own philosophical questionings right there with us, giving the floor to students who were inspired by what they knew, empowering students to share and engage in class by acknowledging the value of their thoughts and passions. Even outside the classroom, every individual we meet—whether younger or older, student or teacher—has something to teach us, an ability to open up our perspective on the world so that we can make a connection and learn. Being open to listen to others’ teachings and the opportunities they bring to nourish the lives of those around them is what it means to live i...

“¿Cuál dirección tomamos?” le pregunta el hijo a su padre. “A la derecha, hijo,” él responde. El hijo y el padre montan en bicicletas por las montañas del bosque, montando entre los árboles. Pueden sentir el sol en sus caras, aunque tienen los cascos que dan sombra a parte de sus pieles. El aire hace frio, pero sus corazones circulan el sangre calor por sus cuerpos fuerzas. La senda tiene curvas pronunciadas. El hijo está en cabeza de su padre en la senda. Su bicicleta roja cruza encima de las rocas, y él maniobra las curvas con la aptitud. Pero no espera por los seres en su dirección. “¡Puma!” grita el hijo. El animal está en la senda, tan grande y maravilloso. Tan salvaje.La bicicleta del hijo patina con la presión de los frenos, pero la bicicleta no deja. La puma se abalanza sobre el hijo, pero el neumático de atrás torce y golpe la puma en su pecho. La puma está lanzada a la tierra. El padre deja su bicicleta. Los ojos de todos están abiertos. Mirando. Todos los corazones...

We were supposed to bring a "talent" into Spanish 5 class today para el final día de clase. A poem, un canción, a drawing, a skill. My Spanish professor and I hemos hablado sobre poetry y traducción on a few occasions, y por eso decidí que I would bring in some of my own poemas, translated into español. We didn't end up sharing the talents, but we did sing La Bamba and eat cake that the professor brought para nosotros. Era delicioso. But now I have some translated poetry of my own, and I would like to share it with someone. I suppose since you're reading this, that someone is you. I just have to say that the process of translating my own words into Spanish was illuminating. It taught me that I don't know what many words really mean in English. My assumptions about connotation and my understanding of certain nuances have been shattered and rebuilt for some words. I am learning how to say what I really mean in English while simultaneously learning new wo...