Focus on your strengths!

Someone recently tweeted about spending some time this summer working on your strengths instead of working on your weaknesses.  This has stuck in my head and now that we've been challenged to reflect for #SummerLS, I think that's where my Stop Comparing Blog Title comes in for me and I need to put my energy this summer.  While on Twitter, it's easy to feel like you're not the "super teacher" that many of the people that you follow are and focus on where your weaknesses are and try to fix them.  But I think it's a good idea for me to look at my strengths and make them even stronger.  If I try to look at areas where I don't measure up and try to become like others, I will always come up short.  I will probably never dress up in character to teach a lesson, no matter how much I try to talk myself into it.  If I do, it will happen naturally when the time comes, not because I want to make it happen.  With Fibromyalgia and introversion, I will probably never have the amount of energy that Ron Clark or Dave Burgess have.  But I do have strengths that make me a good teacher and that make my students like me and like my class and I can focus on those to make myself an even better me.

I am very organized and I love to decorate my classroom.  My students always comment on how I'm their most organized teacher and how bright and cheerful their room is for a high school classroom.  I can make sure that I get to school this summer for 3 or 4 days to make my classroom area as organized as possible and to clean up and clear up the areas that have become messed up from last year. I can make sure that I have my room bright, cheerful and clean and crisp.  I am creative.  I can make sure that I add more creative activities to my lessons this year to make the students' experience more fun and meaningful.  I can't stand on the desks like Ron Clark, but I have my step stool that I used a few years ago very successfully, and I can stand on that at the beginning of the year, especially to make a great impression on the first days.  I love the first days of school and I can really make those days fun, meaningful and start the school year right.  I can plan those days so well that they set the tone for the entire year.  I smile a lot.  I can realize that just that makes a big difference in building relationships with the students and making lessons more joyful.  I love technology.  I can work on the things that I love and new things like Zondle and Kahoot! to add fun to the repetition of learning a language.  I use hooks like making churros and making hot chocolate and making paper flowers.  I can work on how and when to use specific hooks and making hooks work for me.  I love the idea of the hooks!  I can really improve on those.

So while I need to look at my weaknesses as well, I think I'm best served by looking at my strengths and making them even stronger and better strengths.

Thank you #SummerLS