embracing differences

my students have said to me, “i can’t do it (math, writing, etc.) like everyone else.” i would tell them, “not everyone learns in the same way or works in the same way. being different is great! it makes life interesting. if we all looked the same, thought the same, and did the same things, life would be so boring!”

as kids, we want to be the same so we feel we belong. as adults, we do too, I guess. belonging feels good. on the other hand, learning and seeing new things is fun. if we stay in the comfortable, same world we know, we don’t learn or grow.

i say, “embrace differences!” get to know people who don’t look like you, believe like you do, work like you do. as long as people avoid differences, we will treat each other differently. be open to the idea that your way may not be the only way. if we recognize that everyone simply wants to be loved and make sense of life (in their own way), we might exist in a more positive world.