#student-development

#student-development

“I remember being amazed by my kindergarten teacher, Miss Little,” Flanagan says. “She was just so warm and welcoming and always had a huge smile on her face every day. And I wanted to be just like her. And ever since, I said, 'I'm going to be a kindergarten teacher.' And it never wavered.”

Before the training, my instinct was to say, Oh, you disagree with me? I'm going to prove you wrong with hardcore facts that you can't dispute,' but I learned to step back from that emotion, Jeremiah says. Being right might give you a little self-gratification, but it doesn't necessarily solve the issue if you're just making the other person feel defensive. Jeremiah's reflection captures the promise of promoting constructive dialogue at a university as vast and diverse as CUNY.