Do I have the full picture?

 

 

The full picture could often be mistaken for someone’s personal entire picture. But that’s not at all what we’re talking about this week. The full picture that will make a difference in how we treat other people is the full picture of everyone’s life. The first step to seeing the full picture is to recognize the people around you. People often call it “people yourself in other people’s shoes.” This week, Autumn Roberson-Manahan’s story stood out to me immensely.

Growing up in a Christian household and attending private school, I have a different and more sheltered outlook than most people. Thankfully, I have never witnessed the minority in my schools being treated the way Autumn was treated at her school. I pride myself on being empathetic towards everyone. Especially people that I can’t perfectly relate to. Being able to see the full picture requires empathy. The administrator that Autumn reported the incident to said something that really stuck with me and I think really shows how important it is to be empathetic. The administrator told Autumn "that she shouldn't let something as small as a word drag her down." (Hixenbaugh) This administrator was so close minded that she did not realize that even though it didn't seem like a big deal to her, it was important to Autumn and that should have been enough. To truly see the full picture, caring enough to understand what that person is feeling will allow you to treat them fairly and appropriately.

Growing through these modules I always look for how learning this will help me as a future teacher. I don’t know who is going to be in my classrooms, but I know that no matter who they are I am going to love and care for them. as an educator, no matter who the child is, any concern that they should come to me with should be taken seriously regardless of if I understand in that moment why it’s important to them. I will look at the full picture to be able to empathize with them to make sure I handle the situation appropriately.