YOU nique

Imagine my delight this morning to discover that not only has Te@chthought come up with a series of prompts for bloggers for the month of January, but they've also chosen some of my suggested topics for their prompt list!  You can view the entire list HERE, and consider joining this #reflectiveteacher adventure.

Today's Prompt:  What do I consider unique about my teaching?

My first reaction to this prompt is probably going to shock the average bear:  I have a goal for every student to be able to produce Quality B.S.  Yes.  Being able to produce well-written responses to any prompt is a skill that I hope to instill in every one of my students.  The first time I tell them that this is my goal, I am met with more than a few odd stares, but then we talk about the number of times in life when one is required to answer a question that is unpleasant, uninteresting, or just plain boring.

Along those same lines, my uniqueness doesn't have two personalities:  the person that I am in the classroom is the same person I am in the faculty room, the grocery store, and around town.  (Okay, I do not discuss religion, which I am prone to do with friends or at church, but that is simply because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- and, I guess, the United States of America in general -- frowns upon public school teachers discussing religion in the classroom.)  I don't have a "teacher voice," that I know of.  It's probably easier to be only one person, simply because I don't have to remember who I am at any given time.  It also helps that I'm not 23.

Finally, there are no other teachers in my district, that I know of, that have the diversity of projects happening in their classroom at any one time.  Consider this:

• I have a rotting apple under a bell jar.  It's been there since September, and has been drawn, painted, or sketched every week since Labor Day.  Last time I saw it was December 22nd, and it was actually furry.  I promise to post a picture sometime this week.
• My bulletin board is currently covered with coloring book pages from Frozen.  It might seem weird at first glance, especially if you look closely.  It was actually part of a Right Brain/Left Brain presentation by students, and shows a lot of insight into which students are right vs. left brain dominant.
• There are a fair number of gnomes that pass through my room.  One of them is motion-sensored, and talks.  (Travelocity Gnome!)  
• My bookshelves have the single, most eclectic  collection of reading material.  From a smashed Tinkerbell head, books on conspiracy theories and espionage, to the cartoon history of Paul Conrad, there's no way a detective could deduce what I teach based upon the contents of my bookshelves.

I'm sure others will contribute other ideas, but I think you get the idea.
Oh, and how do you catch a unique rabbit?

you neek up on it, of course.