Vanessa M. Bueno

For this body of work, I used an arts-based autoethnography approach and narrative therapy to examine my voice, identities, and lived experiences as a first-generation English language learner. From my personal examination, research, and experiences working with children, I propose an initial step to critically engage children through teacher training and lesson plan implementation. I created arts-based lesson plans that can be helpful to explore, include and shed light on children’s experiences and voices and shape children’s identities in the school space. This can be used as a tool to help children explore their voices and their importance while simultaneously building on strengths.

I have implemented concepts in education and approaches in the therapy realm that inform how curricula can shape teaching and lesson plans focused on the following approaches: social-emotional learning (SEL), positive psychology, narrative therapy, art therapy, the science of reading, and inquiry-based learning. Through this form of support it can help children recognize and grasp their potential to learn how to utilize their strengths, which serves as a catalyst for both personal and professional success (Martin, P., 2017). This body of work was inspired by Ncube-Mlilo N.’s work in The Narrative of the Suitcase. In the Ncube-Mlilo N. (2013) project, narrative therapy was used by inviting children to decorate a suitcase inside and out to help children heal from past trauma and tell their personal stories. These approaches allow for exploring the past, current, and future. It also takes into account the confidence and personal power that comes from having different forms of communication. Through artmaking and writing, children can voice their experiences while receiving support from their communities, loved ones, and the school administration. Together we can construct safe spaces that are self-healing while recognizing and appreciating diversity and the transformation of adversity. The value of this form of work is to help children construct hopeful narratives through the practice of externalizing themselves from presenting problems by including children we see through their perceptions.