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Q: I am still a little unclear about higher order thinking exactly is

U: Through the reading and film Boys of Baraka, I feel like it clearly showed hope for students to learn despite their socio-economic status and that community withing the classroom is very important. I also feel like it is extremely important to get to know each and every one of my students and their families to better serve them and to create a cohesive community.

O: While working at a Saturday non-profit called "Project Easy," I worked with about 7 "at-risk" students. What I noticed was that as soon as I let my guard down and let them get to know me and engaged with them during their recess breaks, they began to respond to my lessons and got excited about learning. I felt a good connection and they trusted me. I had to take down my wall of power in order to get them excited about learning.

T: The treasure right now that I will take with me is the power of exposure. While doing the "I come from.." exercise I completely lost it, and when I looked around the room no one was staring or judging. I felt a safe connection, which was a valuable lesson, sometimes we need to let down our guards to let people in.

E: I feel that I would like to build my own classroom into a community, while still recognizing each student as an individual.