I struggled greatly with my WOA. Every idea I came up with seemed cliche, boring, or overwhelming. Trying desperately to think of something that is truly an unrecognized work of art, I drove past my favorite oak tree: one centered in the middle of a field all by itself. This is when I decided to focus on the lone tree as my WOA.
This was, however, far from the end. I had to narrow down the compelling aspects of the tree, both in relation to other trees and relation to my own experiences. Finally, after much support from my professor, I narrowed down what I was going to do.
Not being able to tread on the field that held my inspirational tree, I used an old pear tree down the road from my house, which worked better than I ever could have imagined. The day I went to take pictures, the blossoms were in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the grass was greener than ever. It made for beautiful pictures.
I didn't expect the paradoxical beauty of the tree. Part of it was strangled with massive vines while the other was teeming with flowers. That made the perfect bridge for my WOA.
I really wasn't impressed with my educational bridges until I read the responses to my video and watched it again. Now they jump out at me. The tree is a perfect metaphor for students, who we don't examine well enought to understand not only their dark side, but the beauty of them also, not matter how hidden. I wish all teachers would be able to understand that each students does have a past and a future. The difference between the tree and students is that we can find out the student's past and influence their future.
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