Even after all of the self-reflection we’ve been asked to do over the last five weeks, I wasn’t expecting the depths that the “I am from” activity would take me to. This activity was the first time in a long time that I really took the time to think about all of the things, people, places, and events that have created me as I am today. All of these large and small pieces of identity are often the things that I most want to share with people but are also the most difficult. Some seem too trivial, and some too raw. Sharing myself on either of these levels feels scary, I worry about not being taken seriously, or not being understood. I appreciated the safe space we created in the classroom on Friday and wonder how often we will recreate or find those safe spaces again. I see the necessity of creating the time and place to open up in these ways because how else do we remind ourselves that, as Sarah said, joy is joy and pain is pain and we all have both. There are so many ways we can compare ourselves to others, but the important thing is remembering that we are all connected. The next question is how do you cultivate that connectedness with your students? How do you find the time and focused place to do so?