Have you ever been told that you’re different and don’t fit in? How did it make you feel? How did you respond? All my life I’ve been told I’m different and don’t fit in. Learning there’s nothing wrong with being different is one of the things I pride myself on and you should too!
In Elementary School, I read books with girls. In Middle School, I played the Baritone. In High School, I ran Cross Country. As you can tell, I never stuck in with the crowd. Even as I began my first year of teaching last August I was doing things that didn’t fit in with the mold and principles of my school and principal.
At first I would criticize myself and overwork myself to meet this identify I could never grasp. I started making change after change until I was happy and confident with the dynamic of our classroom. But the biggest change didn't happen until I consequently took after all the legos without telling the class. Immediately an idea was born: a science lesson about mapping and following clues (directions) ensued on Friday with Indiana Jones as the teacher. Little did I know that little spark of frustration that turned into a lesson would create who I am today. The students had their best day of learning and I had my best day of teaching.
I found myself that day and never looked back. I started teaching carefree and with my students in mind at all times. How could I make each lesson engaging and relevant to the lives of sixteen 9 year olds was the question I asked myself every lesson. Students, teachers, and parents took notice about what was happening in our classroom. It only made us embrace it even more, especially me. Instead of becoming just like the other classrooms and teachers, our classroom lived up to its name, The Jungle. Everyday was an adventure and the students always looked forward to what would happen next.
Being different became our identity and we embraced it because we were doing things other classrooms weren’t, yet learning just as much and having fun. When other classrooms in the school and on Twitter and Instagram started using our ideas we took pride in how we were helping other kids and teachers learn. When a student shadowed our classroom in May and commented how ‘weird’ we were, our classroom responded with a resounding THANK YOU! In our opinion weird isn't a bad word, it’s a compliment. It’s all about perspective on how you view yourself and the world.
Maybe you're a kid who obsesses over pugs or maybe you’re an adult like Quinn Rollins (author of Play Like a Pirate) who still plays with Legos. You should embrace what makes you different and share it with the world because thats who you are and there’s nothing wrong with it! Everyone’s opinions and ideas matter! Your differentness could just help someone!
