Uniqueness

When you neither feel superior nor inferior while meeting anyone, you are respecting your uniqueness. 

All families are different. We need to teach our students to feel good about the uniqueness of their family and to respect other families that may be different. 

All students are unique and so are their requirements. We must notice the uniqueness in each student. 

We call students to grow into their best selves and to treat others with the same degree of dignity. 

Teachers need to encourage young minds to learn to express their ideas, develop a positive self image, and develop skills in independence and self-direction. We need to teach and consistently reinforce to our students their uniqueness.  

It is important to be sensitive to the fact that differences do exist and that such differences must be respected.

We need to avoid segregating students by cultural groups and we shouldn't allow them to segregate themselves. We need to intervene immediately when a students ridicules a minority student's culture or language.

Holding high expectations for every child promotes the idea that each child's development has both universal features and features that are unique to each child and their context. High expectations for every child does not involve having the same expectation of every child. Each child will experience learning and development differently. Students have diverse culture, ability, learning styles, personalities and identities. 

Every student is special. Every student has different needs. Every child is a unique individual. Teachers can reach every child.

Teachers need to transform differentiation from buzzword to classroom reality. True differentiation involves constantly assessing students and tailoring instruction accordingly. It's a student-centered classroom, in which every teacher responds to where students are and provides choices and flexibility. 

As teachers we already know the importance of getting to know every one of our students individually. 

Howard Garner conceptualized the idea of multiple intelligences as, ""The extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways." Indeed, there are many ways to be smart. 

Each student is unique and uniquely smart. Today's world no longer accepts one-size-fits-all. It is definitely time for a mindset change: a growth mindset.