The WE inside of ME

I'm currently working on some homework for my SPGN 251. That's the class teachers have to take that's about special needs situations in the classroom. The class transcends what people believe "special ed" to be, and has been one of the most insightful classes on teaching I've EVER taken.

Part of my spring break homework was to watch this video, and to list three questions I'd have for Dr. Bolte-Taylor, and to write about the three most moving parts of the video. I think I could write for HOURS about this video, to tell you the truth.

I found this video to be incredibly moving, and I really think that everyone in the world could find a different way to relate to it, medically, spiritually, physically, whatever. It's kinda lengthy, but I suggest taking 20 minutes to sit down and watch what this brain scientist had to say about having a stroke and being fully aware of everything that was happening at every single moment. It was truly moving, and just like she said, the message of the we inside of me is worth passing along.

Here's what I wrote for my homework, by the way. :)


If you could talk with Dr. Bolte Taylor what would you tell her were the three most powerful “parts” of her amazing story and presentation?

-As someone who also enjoys speaking in front of people, I found the segment when she shocked the whole audience by bringing out a human brain to be absolutely amazing! She really knows how to talk to an audience and convey a message that might not exactly be easy for everyone to understand relatable and interesting.

-I was also amazed at the eloquence and the ease that Dr. Taylor was able to describe the process of her stroke: the pain, what happened when, the results. Not many people can speak about things like that, especially with such ease and wonderful description. Many people don’t live to tell stories like this, and Dr. Taylor really gives us an amazing description of what it was like to go through a horrible experience like this. I also am amazed at the fact that she accepted this with such grace and such a positive attitude and used this as a chance to better understand what she was studying.

-As a teacher, I really found the statement “that is the WE inside of ME” to be truly inspirational. I am a huge believer in trying to find about more about yourself as a student, teacher, person, friend, lover, whatever – and I think the more we know about ourselves physically, spirituality, intellectually, the better we can do in this world in general. Awareness of who you are and what physically makes you that way can help you to excel in all areas of your life.


If you could ask Dr. Bolte Taylor three questions, what would they be?

-I would ask Dr. Bolte Taylor if she thinks she would be a different person today if she hadn’t gone through this.

-I would ask her if going through this experience provided a completely new light on her studies; I think that many people go through parts of their life where their job or their art becomes boring or old to them, and they need something big to reaffirm their love of it: was this what SHE needed? Did it come at a good time?

-I would also ask her if her theories on brain development and all of the work she had done had changed at all after having a stroke. Sometimes we don’t really see or understand ideas until we have gone through them personally, so I’m wondering if that might be the same thing medically speaking.