D: Different But Same

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

On my recent flight from Malaysia to Thailand, I was sandwiched between two wonderful families with crying toddlers. Please don't get me wrong. I am a primary school teacher - as much as I would prefer not to be surrounded by hyperactive kids all week long, I still have a rather big 'soft spot' for them. As the plane took off, both toddlers front and back started crying out loud. Perhaps it was their first time being up on high in the skies. Or they might have experienced something unpleasant in their previous flight.

But, me being me, putting on my teacher hat, I was wondering how would both families manage their respective crying toddlers. Mummy A (in front of my seat) quickly grabbed her toddler gently and hugged her tightly. She even hummed a little soft melody to calm her toddler. Toddler A stopped crying - instantly! Meanwhile, Mummy and Daddy B were trying hard to take turns to hug their crying toddler for almost 10 minutes - until the toddler shouted for his Star Wars robot. Mummy B took it out for him and right away, the crying stopped.

Two different real-life approaches to address the same situation.

And in the teaching world that I am in, we call this DIFFERENTIATION.
The situation in the plane reminds me of the importance of finding best teaching and learning strategies for everything that we teach and explore on. One activity that worked well with the next class DOES NOT necessarily guarantee that it will work well with ours. Simply because we all have different sets of students with different preferred learning styles and interests.

...students who prefer reading.
...students who prefer doing science experiments.
...students who prefer talking, sharing and presenting.
...students who prefer mathematics.
...students who prefer to paint and make crafts.
...students who prefer working on big projects.
...students who enjoy singing and playing instruments.
...students who enjoy doing sports.

All classrooms are filled with students above. You can never find one class whereby everyone is perfectly similar and loves the same thing. There are tonnes of brilliant websites on classroom management tips, even on parenting tips! But all these wonderful tips should be tested and adjusted accordingly to every student's preferences and needs. As a teacher, it is definitely one of the top unending responsibilities that I have to make sure that things are progressing well. I am not teaching in a traditional government-based school, and thus, in the international school setting that I have been in for years up till today, the demand is higher and greater. It can be overwhelming sometimes, but it is definitely rewarding.

Similarly, this applies to our daily lives too - in various aspects.
And in terms of coffee... (since I am a coffee-lover)
Some of us prefer plain black coffee.
Some of us prefer double-shot espresso.
Some of us prefer cappuccino, or even green tea latte.
I personally prefer my coffee with soy milk.

The point that I am trying to make here is that different ways do not necessarily mean that we are doing it wrong.
It is just about choosing and doing what works best for ourselves.