5 Things I’m Good At

Daily writing prompt

Share five things you’re good at.

Another new prompt! Or at least, this is a prompt that’s “new to me“. In any event, this gives me something new to write about. like a lot of people, I have some trouble describing things. “good at“. I think part of this is a sense of modesty. I’m not one to go around my chest and bragging about things I can do well. But I think even more than that is the relativity of it all. Just because I’m good“ at something, or at least I think that I’m good at something, there certainly are people who are better at than I am. That’s being said, here is my list – that necessarily in any order – of five things that I believe that I am good at:

I’m a good listener

I’ve been told, particularly by lady friends, that I am a good listener. I don’t know that I am necessarily a good listener, or if it’s not there are so many men in the world who are bad listeners. In a lot of ways, I was inspired by Guinan from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This character, played by Whoopi Goldberg, is a member of “a race of listeners”. This makes Guinan the perfect bartender and unofficial counselor on the Enterprise.

I think most people in the world just want to be heard. They want to know that someone cares enough to listen to what they want – or have – to say. When I do need to cut somebody off, I think I’m discreet enough about it – and I listen enough – to let them know that that om Either way, I tend to stand out from the crowd in this regard. This ability goes hand-in-hand with the fact that…

People are willing to talk to me

Sometimes I wonder if I missed my calling in life. I think I could’ve been a very good “good cop” like the stereotypical good – bad dynamic that you see on TV in movies. I’m almost never the “stronger“, but I am the guy that people will open up and spill their guts to. both of these attributes go a long way for me as a teacher. They don’t so much affect my ability to control a classroom or even being effective instructor, but I think I can get students to trust me and get students willing to open up to me, then I’ve already won half of the battle with them.

What I know, I know well

Whenever I do one for a job interview or one of those annual teacher evaluations, I’m always asked. “what is your biggest strength as a teacher?“ I always tell the interviewer, my administrator, whoever is asking me this question “I know my content area well“.

Like so many of us, when I am interested in something, I tend to devour it – learning as much as I possibly can and soaking the information up like a proverbial sponge. I’m filled with all kids of useless information – like the “future history” of the Star Trek franchise. But this hunger for knowledge comes in handy as a teacher. In most schools I’ve taught in, I was known as the grammar geek. I’m pretty hardcore into Shakespeare and the structure of a plot. Just the other day, I found myself googling why we say “an historic event” in English instead of “a historic event”. That’s the kind of stuff nerds like me think about.

I’m a good speaker

I’m not a lawyer, or a politician. Hell, I was never even on the debate team in high school, but I think I could have been. People have always told me that when I speak in public, I SOUND confident (even apparently try when I am not). I knew going into teaching that I HAD to be comfortable speaking in a room full of people where I had not only had to be something of an authority figure on a particular subject, but I also had to command my audience’s attention.

Even when I’m at a staff meeting, or a professional development events with other teachers, I’m usually the person who contributes to the discussion. I’m usually the know who raises my hand to speak. I engaged in group activities, I’m usually the person who offers to present our work to the rest of the room. I’m not sure why , but I actually enjoy talking to an audience. And at the risk of tooting my own horn, the fact that I’m willing to do that even amongst my professional peers has to say something about my level of confidence.

I’m Humble

OK, admitted this one is kind a cup out. I can’t really think of the fifth thing that I’m good at. I don’t mean that in a “I have low self-esteem“ kind of way either.

But in all seriousness, I like to think that I have a good, level head on my shoulders. My ego is not too big. I don’t try to say too much about too many things that I know to little about. I don’t try to pretend that I’m better than what I am. I’m fully aware of the fact that I am relentlessly average middle class guy. I do have some attributes that I think make me stand out from the crowd; but I’m also fully aware of the fact that I’m not extraordinary by any sense of the word.

I think that having too big of an ego or and overinflated sense of self-worth is actually destructive to people. thinking that you’re better than you really are set people up for some inevitable disappointment in life. This is a lesson I was try to instill in kids: keep your head about you. While we are all unique and special in our own ways, it does not make us better than other people.

What are 5 things that you are good at?

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