Eckland, a featured speaker at the end-of-year Multiple Subject Rose Garden Celebration, ended by "hugging" her fellow TEP-ers
Carla Eckland appreciates the connectivity of an intimate cohort. “I went to a small liberal arts college that was close-knit, and I grew up going to a small school in a small town,” she says. “I really value the community, and don’t necessarily like being anonymous.” She credits her comradery-filled background as the reason for choosing the UCSB Teacher Education Program. “I knew my learning style, needs, and motivation include having a close cohort of people who are going through the same journey as me. I need those meaningful connections you make in experiences that have a lot of hardship and struggle, but they also have a level of bonding that is very rewarding. Having people around is partly why I want to be a teacher.”
An example of this interwoven closeness happened recently in a Gevirtz School computer lab. “A few friends and I still had a lot of work to do before our Takeovers [where we ran the classroom by ourselves for a full week],” she recalls. “This one night, right before all those plans were due, four friends and I posted up in Ada’s Lab spontaneously and ordered pizza and salad from Isla Vista, and were exhaustively working up until taking a break to eat. I just remember feeling so much more capable of completing the work because I had my friends around and I knew we were doing it together. We could bounce ideas off each other, and we were really productive.”
Eckland will be receiving her dual Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Master’s Degree in Education this summer from the UCSB Teacher Education Program. Her research interests have morphed throughout the program, and she has actively taught 2nd and 4th grade students this year. Looking forward, she will implement her excitement for Academic Language into her curriculum, consequently teaching students how to think critically. “One of my favorite parts of the inquiry process has been recognizing that at first I didn’t want to teach academic language. I really didn’t know what it was for. I’m in graduate school, and even I don’t say, ‘I justify my explanation with XYZ…’ We don’t speak like that, even in our graduate classes, so what is the use of this?” Her own switch in mentality was a strong light bulb for Carla. “[Learning that academic language is the same as cognitive language has] been one of the most fun discoveries for me all year. For me, it has been like ‘OH!’ I thought something totally different, and I’ve changed my mind. Now, I support this instructional practice. Even if you’re not in an academic setting, your brain is comparing, contrasting, predicting, judging, and describing. Even teaching the terms can give students a starting point. So that’s why it’s important to explicitly teach it.”
When the intensity of the program overwhelmed her, Carla turned to Ultimate Frisbee. Pondering how she juggled the program and UCSB Intramural games each Friday made her laugh, but credits it as one of the activities that got her through the year. “It was a nice break to do something I’m good at,” she asserts. “Sometimes with teaching, you’re like ‘Uhh, I’m not good at this!’ But with Frisbee, I know I can run, I can throw, I can catch, I can score, and it’s nice to have those things that you do that can kind of lift you up.”
Her advice to future TEP students? “Go to the pool. Just float!” Her saving grace was experiencing mindfulness moments that only the pool could provide. “Water is so rejuvenating and refreshing, and I mean, I’m not the Buddha, but I realized that what you focus your attention on is what your mood’s going to be…If you focus on the feel of the water, and taking care of yourself and your friends, that’s how it will be more positive. And you can’t do one or the other all the time. There will be a mix.
“And,” she adds, “you’re underwater. If you’re not focused and don’t remember to breathe, you’re suddenly going to notice. Your breathing has to be regular and intentional, rather than when I’m on the computer—sometimes I literally forget to breathe when I’m really thinking. And then your brain doesn’t have as much oxygen. It’s going to affect something.”
One mindful insight that appears to ground Carla the most is in reflecting upon her time at UCSB, despite any expected job outcome, or lack thereof. “Valuing our experience based on that high reward we get at the end is a waste. It’s disregarding all the positive growth, relationships, and practice that we’ve done this year. Even if you don’t have that high reward at the end, you still went through a lot, and you need to appreciate it. I keep thinking, ‘How do I personally want to put closure on this experience beyond the official ceremonies?’ I’m the kind of person who wants that closure. I don’t just want to disappear. I want to say, ‘Here’s how I feel, this is why it’s been great, here’s why it’s been hard. Let’s just commiserate for a second!’ And so, I have been writing out appreciations to my students that I’m going to share with them and I began preparing my MST Closing Ceremony speech, which included some great reflection that I’m excited to share with my cohort.”
Carla’s plans after UCSB include applying for jobs back home in Bishop, CA, and traveling with her boyfriend and siblings abroad in France. A trip, she says, that has been the carrot for her all year.
In particular, she would like to thank her spring mentor teacher, Chris Hanna, for being a wonderful teacher to end the year with. “I’d also like to thank Anne Bumby, my supervisor and small group leader,” she says. “She has been so insightful throughout our year together, giving me equal parts support and space when I needed them both.”
Reflective and ready for the “real world,” Carla paused for one final thought before parting: “It’s another year of life. You’re going to learn so much more than what you’re studying.”