Be Unique

In One of the above from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin shares,

“In order to be “one of the above” you have to begin by being willing to be ‘none of the above.’”

When we are young, we spend so much time trying to fit in and be like everyone else. We think that if we are like everyone else, we will belong.

Teens want to be part of the group and not stand out. They want to blend in because they think that if they are like everyone else, they will be accepted. It is this desire of acceptance that leads many down a dark path. When they finally realize that they don’t need to be like everyone else and that they can be themselves, they can shine in their own self-acceptance.

This is a hard lesson to teach students. They don’t believe that I understand how they feel. They think I’ve forgotten what it is like to be their age. They think that things are different during this time than it was when I was there age. Though events may be different, I don’t believe individual feelings and desires have changed that much.

In the same respect, I feel that new teachers are in the same boat as a teenager.

New teachers want to belong to this new group they have finally been able to join. They want to look like all the other teachers and be accepted. They want to be just like the veteran teachers so that they won’t stand out.

But I think it is important for new teachers to stand out. Their enthusiasm and excitement are sometimes a needed shot in the arm for veteran teachers. New and innovative ideas come from these new teachers. While overall teaching hasn’t changed a lot, fun new strategies can be shared by new teachers. Sometimes veteran teachers may get a  little dusty and it is this influx of new teachers that can get rid of the cobwebs and bring new life to a faculty.

I like to encourage new teachers not to be afraid of their newness. Don’t curb your excitement about your new career. Be willing to share your new ideas and don’t be discouraged if the veteran teachers are not as excited as you are. Be willing to try your new ideas and if they don’t work out as planned, keep trying.

But also, don’t think that you know everything and that the veteran teachers need to be put out to pasture. New teachers can learn a lot from veteran teachers’ experiences in the classroom. Be willing to listen to advice and if you disagree, just listen and do your own thing. You don’t need to debate everything that you don’t agree with.

Being a new teacher is a wonderful thing for all. It usually takes a few years for a new teacher to feel accepted. Sometimes it happens when another new teacher arrives the next year and you are no longer considered the new teacher.

It is okay to be unique and stand out. This may be what is needed in order to be successful in the classroom and even in real life.

How do you stand out? Please share.

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

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Being A Unique Teacher

I recently was asked by a new teacher how they can become just like me. My answer was, “You can’t.”

Teaching is a lot like fingerprints. Everyone is different. There are no identical twins teaching. No one can be exactly like me because of my own personal experiences and values color my teaching style. Even if someone has lived exactly like me with my exact experiences, there won’t be a duplication of teaching styles. Even if someone had lived in the same circumstances, our interpretation and perception of the situations can be totally different.

Teaching is not an exact science. There is no magic formula that makes each teacher a perfect teacher.

The thing that makes a teacher better is the desire to become better and more effective every day.

Each day is a new beginning. We hope we learn from our mistakes from the day before, so we don’t repeat them. We hope to gain new knowledge from the day before to try new strategies that might help our students. We hope to learn new strategies from others that we’re willing to try in order to help our students be more successful.

When asked how I would handle a situation that another teacher is facing, I have to reach into my “bag of tricks” that contains strategies that I’ve used in the past or knowledge that I’ve learned from others. Maybe one of these strategies will be the key to helping that teacher but there is no guarantee. All I can do is try.

We try to better ourselves. We try to better the learning environment. We try to better our students.

Each one of us is a unique teacher. We can observe others and learn their strategies but how we implement it in our own classroom will be unique because we all have our own unique perspective. Even when we imitate another teacher’s style, it will be different in our own classroom. Not only are we coming at it from a unique perspective but our students have their own unique perceptions. How they interpret our actions makes the whole situation a new experience.

We should never hope to be a teacher like someone else. We can hope to learn new things or try new things, but we need to be ourselves. We need to be unique. Being unique is a good thing and we need to accept our own uniqueness in order to be successful in the classroom.

Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash

What is Normal?

What is normal? Who gets to decide?

I’ve heard this saying on a few podcasts lately and I don’t know who the creator was, but here it is:
"Normal is just a setting a washing machine."

That saying has been going around and around in my head and I’m loving it!

As a teacher of students with special needs, I have seen a lot of children feel as if they were not normal because they were different. They see normal as fitting in, being like everyone else, and not standing out as different. These students want to be “normal.”

Some teachers see a lot of students as normal in the same way. They want all of their students to fit in with what they expect. They want all students to take the same tests and succeed in the same way. They want all of their students to behave in the same cookie cutter fashion and if they don’t, then they see these students as not being normal.

I think I would do a major disservice to my students if I expect them to be “normal” and just like everyone else. I want to honor their uniqueness and help them be proud of their differences.

If they don’t learn like everyone else, I want them to feel that is okay as long as we figure out a way for them to learn that fits them. I have to help them find the learning style that works for them and encourage them to use this so they can get the most out of learning. Instead of trying to fit them in a mold, I need to give them tools to use because they don’t fit in a mold.

If they don’t show how they understand and can apply their learning the way others do, that is okay too. As long as they are able in some way to show me that they understand and can apply what they have learned. I need to give them opportunities to show me how they do this.

I need to stop trying to make all of my students normal and respect them for who they are.
I need to remember that normal is just a setting on a washing machine.

How do you help your students feel comfortable in their uniqueness? Please share.

Image: 'There's Always One'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7762644@N04/2205118143
Found on flickrcc.net

The Layers of “Me”

In Like the Layers of an Onion, So Are the Facets of Our Lives

from Sioux's Page, Sioux did a writing activity with middle school students about how we are made of many layers. Then she asks,

“What do people think when they see you? When strangers see you on the street, when someone hears you read your writing out loud but has never met you, what impressions do they form? What kind of "mask" do you wear, and what lies under the surface?”

I am going to try to be really honest here and even while saying that, I am having a hard time.

I start each day with a happy greeting on Facebook, Plurk, and Twitter. Everyone who “knows” me this way believes that I’m an optimistic, outgoing person. I think I’m very optimistic but I have “trained” myself to choose to be that way. My attitude is affected by how I choose to be. This cheery beginning always makes me feel good about the day, my world, and even myself.

When I meet people for the first time, it is really hard for me. It is hard for me to put a smile on my face and act natural as if meeting them is nothing out of the ordinary. At the same time my mind is berating myself for putting me in this position. I guess it is part of the “fight or flight” response and I so want to run and hide. I’m very nervous and sometimes talk too much because I’m so nervous.

Just recently I was invited to 2 group chats on Google + chats and I had to practically make myself join them. I was terrified. I actually clicked on the link to one and then closed it out. After giving myself a pep talk, I finally joined again and enjoyed myself. The next one was a little easier but I was still scared.
I love meeting my online friends in person when we travel around the country. I look forward to meeting them and talk about them all the time. Then when the time comes to meet them, after arranging a place, date, and time, I want to kick myself for doing this. What was I thinking?! But then I meet the person or people and I’m so glad I did. I wish I was more comfortable talking to people.

I have a lot of acquaintances but very few close friends. Over the years I have been hurt by my so-called “friends” that I tend not to get to close to many people. I’m lucky enough to have my husband as my best friend and sometimes that is enough. I have three friends that have been my friends for about 30 years and I consider myself lucky to have them in my life.

At the same time, I have no patience for overbearing opinionated people who have no sense of humor. If I feel that I have come in contact with this kind of person, I tend to tune them out and distance myself from them. I want no part of them socially or professionally.

I have many different interests and tend to jump from one hobby to another every few years. I love learning new things. Sometimes I’m not very good at one thing but I enjoyed it while I was doing it.

My life is very simple and so are my wants and needs. I am quite happy with my life so I guess you would label me as content.

I think those are the layers of me. What are your layers like? Please share.

Image: 'spacehog:in the meantime'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41754875@N00/1377369881

Celebrate Uniqueness

In ReThinking: "He Doesn't Want to be Seen as Different" from EdTech Solutions - Teaching Every Student, Karen Janowski says,

“Unfortunately, I realize another team is unaware of Universal Design for Learning principles.  If they understood UDL, they would appreciate the importance of offering MULTIPLE methods of engagement, presentation and expression. Instead, they are sticking to the "one size fits all" approach, an approach which fails to meet the needs of all learners. It's an approach that allows teams to agree, "He doesn't want to be seen as different." 

My challenge to the team is to change the culture, don't let the student be seen as different. Offer multiple methods of expression. Give choices. Offer alternatives to the traditional methods which fail many kids.”

Maybe we need to think about what message we are telling kids. By trying to make everyone fit one size, we are telling them that it is wrong to be different. I’m not sure that they start off believing that they don’t want to be different. As children grow and observe, they learn that adults expect them to fit in, to conform to the rules, to be the same. We teach them that they don’t want to be seen as different.

We need to start spreading the message that it is okay to be different because we all are different.

Isn’t that why we all have our own unique fingerprints?

Don’t we all like different foods? Different clothes? Have different personalities?

We are not made to be carbon copies of each other!

I believe when we stop trying to force this message on children, everyone will be much happier and our children will be more successful, not just in school but in life.

Maybe if we start changing the way we see children, there will be more tolerance in the world for those that are different. Maybe it won’t be such an issue to be different. Suddenly by being different, we all fit in the same group – the Different group. Suddenly we all belong.

By allowing students to learn in different ways we are acknowledging their uniqueness and teaching them that it is okay. We are showing others that it is okay too. Suddenly being different is okay. Eventually this message will spread but it has to start somewhere. Will you start sending that message today?

It is time.

Celebrate uniqueness.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'rain rain go away'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/3555181787 by: Nina Matthews