It's a Sunday night, around 11:36 (yup...I'm being THAT specific) and I've just come home from watching a movie that...was...confusing. It shouldn't have been a terribly introspective, or commentative movie, but it was.
It's a funny thing...as a teacher...everything seems to relate back to my teaching practice...or how I treat kids.
Be Yourself...be unique. Be who you are. Cause that's good for helping you figure out who you are. And express that unique self, because it helps grow yourself. Don't bottle up those feelings, express them.
In my experiences these can be contradictory on occasion. When we tell a kid to be unique, be themself, and be all they can...they can be ostracized for it. I know this from personal experience, because we expect them to conform to a certain degree despite their uniqueness.
In general, when we embrace who we really are, to everyone around us...and try not to "conform for conformity's sake" we end up looking weird, nerdy, geeky, or unusual sometimes. I've seen many kids like this, I've commented on many kids like this, I've had other teachers comment on kids like this. Sometimes it's in a good way. Often it's not though. We see the kids that are more "unique" and that don't conform to the standards and ways of doing things, and we treat them differently.
A lot of people who have done so, end up being similar to others, but the ones who didn't, who are naturally unique, are often fragile. Can be broken or hurt, or often are, because they know they're stuck between a rock and a "weird" place.
The reality is, most of these kids already know they are treated differently by their peers/classmates and don't want to be treated differently by their teachers, despite their unique ways of doing things. These kids have done exactly what we, as western teachers, have encouraged them to do.
Be yourself
When I was a kid I heard that term a lot..."weird". Andrew is so weird. It was a common thing. It was because I wasn't interested in the things a lot of other kids were. I didn't mind it. I embraced it. It wasn't exactly a comfort blanket by any means, but it was definitely a preservation technique.
When all the boys were playing soccer, or getting into hockey I was more interested in running around in the woods in my backyard fantasizing I was Megaman, or Optimus Prime. Where other boys were wrestling, I was interesting in Nintendo Power magazine.
And I still don't totally conform. I'm far more interested in my yoga practice than watching any sport on TV. I'd much rather paint than play tennis. And I'm good with that.
As a teacher though, I need to more aware of these things. To identify, and identify with, the kids who might be a bit unique, and are o.k. with it. To lift them up, listen to them, embrace their high energy, chatty selves. Let them talk things out loud, or not be that worried when they're sitting on a bench at recess reading. And praise them. Because that's how some kids are. They need the praise because they can be fragile. They don't need someone else telling them their weird. They need to be reassured that their uniqueness is good.
And I need to take a deep breath when they are on one of my nerves in class. To find more unique ways of letting them express themself. To tap into my own uniqueness so they can tap into theirs.
So no...this post isn't necessarily a 21C learning post in terms of technology. It's more a 21C embracing of the heart. And as a reminder for me to reach that heart to some of the kids that may be labelled as a bit "weird", "high energy" or "a bit much".
Thanks for reading.
It's a funny thing...as a teacher...everything seems to relate back to my teaching practice...or how I treat kids.
Be Yourself...be unique. Be who you are. Cause that's good for helping you figure out who you are. And express that unique self, because it helps grow yourself. Don't bottle up those feelings, express them.
In my experiences these can be contradictory on occasion. When we tell a kid to be unique, be themself, and be all they can...they can be ostracized for it. I know this from personal experience, because we expect them to conform to a certain degree despite their uniqueness.
In general, when we embrace who we really are, to everyone around us...and try not to "conform for conformity's sake" we end up looking weird, nerdy, geeky, or unusual sometimes. I've seen many kids like this, I've commented on many kids like this, I've had other teachers comment on kids like this. Sometimes it's in a good way. Often it's not though. We see the kids that are more "unique" and that don't conform to the standards and ways of doing things, and we treat them differently.
A lot of people who have done so, end up being similar to others, but the ones who didn't, who are naturally unique, are often fragile. Can be broken or hurt, or often are, because they know they're stuck between a rock and a "weird" place.
The reality is, most of these kids already know they are treated differently by their peers/classmates and don't want to be treated differently by their teachers, despite their unique ways of doing things. These kids have done exactly what we, as western teachers, have encouraged them to do.
Be yourself
When I was a kid I heard that term a lot..."weird". Andrew is so weird. It was a common thing. It was because I wasn't interested in the things a lot of other kids were. I didn't mind it. I embraced it. It wasn't exactly a comfort blanket by any means, but it was definitely a preservation technique.
When all the boys were playing soccer, or getting into hockey I was more interested in running around in the woods in my backyard fantasizing I was Megaman, or Optimus Prime. Where other boys were wrestling, I was interesting in Nintendo Power magazine.
And I still don't totally conform. I'm far more interested in my yoga practice than watching any sport on TV. I'd much rather paint than play tennis. And I'm good with that.
As a teacher though, I need to more aware of these things. To identify, and identify with, the kids who might be a bit unique, and are o.k. with it. To lift them up, listen to them, embrace their high energy, chatty selves. Let them talk things out loud, or not be that worried when they're sitting on a bench at recess reading. And praise them. Because that's how some kids are. They need the praise because they can be fragile. They don't need someone else telling them their weird. They need to be reassured that their uniqueness is good.
And I need to take a deep breath when they are on one of my nerves in class. To find more unique ways of letting them express themself. To tap into my own uniqueness so they can tap into theirs.
So no...this post isn't necessarily a 21C learning post in terms of technology. It's more a 21C embracing of the heart. And as a reminder for me to reach that heart to some of the kids that may be labelled as a bit "weird", "high energy" or "a bit much".
Thanks for reading.
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