Understanding

(Today’s post is for the letter U in the A-Z challenge.)

Understanding is a big part of my life. Every day I think I am looking for an understanding.

I need to understand who I am, what I stand for, and what I believe in. This is what makes me, me.

I also need to understand why I do things. Everything has a purpose. Every person has a motive or an agenda even if they don’t want to admit it. By understanding why I want to do something can help me prioritize what I do. Sometimes my need to do certain things is not as important as others.

I need to understand other people. I use their words, tone of voice, and body language to determine not just what they say but what they mean. I am such a visual learner that seeing someone else is very important to me when communicating. I think that is why I don’t like using the phone that much. Since I started using Skype, it has made using a phone so much more enjoyable for me.

I need to understand that other people may not place the same importance on certain things as I do. It is frustrating when people don’t move in the same direction or speed as I do.

I need to understand why other people do certain things. I like to people watch when we get in big crowds and imagine the life of the people I see. I try to imagine their background and what motivates them to wear certain clothes or act in a certain way.

Looking at all the things that I need to understand, I realize that my students need to understand a lot more than just the information that I am teaching them. In order for them to comprehend and retain what is important, they need to understand how it relates to their lives.

My students need to learn the steps to a new skill. They need to understand each step in order to repeat it. Without this understanding, they won’t be able to build on it to learn new steps.

Understanding takes many different shapes. As a teacher, I need to find the shape that each student needs. Not all of my students understand in the same way so finding a way to help them may be a mystery that needs to be solved. I guess, this mystery is what makes teaching exciting to me.

What things do you need to understand in your life? What do you think students need to understand in order to be successful? Please share!

Image: 'Understanding'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10075702@N00/5811447011