Picture thinker...
As a teacher, I have been schooled in the need to meet students where they are and by doing so consider how they learn. When we take into account someone’s learning style, we can better help them access the curriculum and not only play into their strengths as a learner, but help those weaker areas. Some students are kinesthetic, they need to get up and move to help them better understand a concept. While other students are guided purely by sound, they are auditory learners and thrive when learning is paired with music and rhythms. Some students learn better on their own, while others grow in a collaborative environment. Research shows us that most people are some sort of combination and so when teaching, it’s important to not just teach one way. Maybe when introducing a concept the lesson consists of diagrams for your visual learners, but also opportunities to talk and share connections for those students who are verbal.
I didn’t quite realize my strengths as a learner, until I became a teacher myself. What I have started to see over the years is that I am very much a visual and spatial thinker. This quality has grown and strengthened over time and because of it, I shine!
I remember details and they are preserved as a picture in my head. It’s like I capture an image of a room, a map, or a document and then I can retrieve it from my memory when needed. This might be why I know exactly which shirt belongs to Parker and which one is Weston’s without looking at the tag even though they are roughly the same size, I have their closets memorized - my husband doesn’t. This might be why my colleagues find my ability to recall calendar dates extraordinary and will refer to past GoogleSlides by the clipart we included. This might be why when exploring a new place I never get “turned around” or lost, the path has been drawn in my mind the moment I start moving. As a picture thinker, a strength we have is the ability to visualize. When I played golf in college, we were taught to visualize the shot before we hit it, what would it look like, where would it land, how far would it roll out. I still do this in other arenas of my life, but it has gotten me in trouble. Being an anxious mother early on has caused me to visualize the bad, like when the kids are bouncing on the neighbor’s trampoline or playing with a ball in the driveway, I see the injury or the car that doesn’t stop in time. When harnessed for good though, a visual mind is a true asset because details never fade and life can be a constant movie in one’s mind.
Picture thinkers are naturally observant, that is how we absorb the details and write it into memory. We aren’t just observant of things, but also people. I notice when someone is “off,” even when they are doing their best to mask it. There is a change in their voice, or a diverting of the eyes, or hurt written into the twitching of their fingers. I can see it, sense it, and almost feel it. This quality has forged me the ability to read people and meet them where they need me to be. Maybe they need me to question and to comfort, other times it’s better to ignore and distract with normalcy. Being observant in this way has helped me when working with middle school students, I can scan and get a vibe for the dynamic of the classroom, which can easily change when even just one student is off. It is my intuitive nature that can help bridge personalities to make it work within the walls of my classroom, or my home. I have been told by others that I am thoughtful gift giver, maybe that is because of my gift to observe and see others, to closely pay attention, to listen and to watch what they crave, need and enjoy. I find so much joy when I know I’ve done something special for someone else, whether that is in the form of a gift or just sat and listened when they needed it.
My mother has always been known as the “crazy picture lady” and not too long ago I quickly fell right in line behind her. But that strong sense to pause and preserve a moment in the form of a picture is because that is how my brain is wired and I’m a lot like my mama. I see moments and I want to write it down and remember every detail and so I take a picture. Through my pictures I’m telling a story of our lives. Research varies on when children start making long-term memories, but for me, I remember everything about my childhood, not because my brain is gifted in capturing memories, but because my mother took an abundance of pictures and lined them up in photo albums and I would and still could get lost in those books. When I was younger, I wanted to know the story behind the moment frozen in time and then as the story was being shared it became alive for me, a memory. I crave capturing moments and writing our story through images, those pictures are what are burned into my memory and hopefully my children’s someday.
I love pretty things - a wooded path, an antique lace dress, the charm of a farmhouse. I love what nature does for me, it brings a sense of calm, transformation and freedom. Time slows down when I am amongst nature, I can get lost on a windy road guarded by trees, or a path that parallels a creek. I can breath more deeply when the lake is my backdrop and dream more easily when all that surrounds me are the sounds of birds, insects and the wind. But I also love classic style and intricate details - peter pan collars, buttons, and summer dresses. I love vintage velvet sofas, and pastel whimsical bows, coffee mugs with detailed flowers and jewelry that carries a story. I love creating flower arrangements and writing inspiring quotes paired with detailed boarders on chalkboards. I am drawn to beauty to detail, and I want to capture it and hold on to it.
Details are important to me, but so is the big picture. Visual thinkers are often whole to part thinkers as well. I need to know the end goal, the main concept, the overall focus before I can dig into the details because without it I have nothing to ground me in my work. As a visually minded person, relationships of things are what I lean on to understand, so if I know the big picture I can then relate the details to the overarching goal. This quality came to life when our English Department decided to adopt a writing program a few years back. Some of my colleagues jumped right in with the first lesson and just started teaching, that caused me a great deal of fear because I didn’t understand it yet, I had to know more, I had to know everything. What was the greater purpose? How is this program different from what I already know about writing instruction? What are the pillars to this program? It took understanding the big picture for me to be able to consume the fine details with purpose, and better appreciate how lessons where building on one another to the ultimate learning goals. This too is why I see everything as a process working towards a goal, even if that means how we go about cleaning up the house, there are steps, an order.
Someone once told me that my emotions were getting in the way of me being an effective leader. Visual and spatial thinkers are driven by their emotions, it is woven into the life experience. I can agree and see how being emotional can cause complications when making decisions, especially in a leadership role, but when controlled emotions can be a great asset. I feel for others, I take on their burdens and rejoice in their accomplishments. I fight for what is fair, just and right. My family, my children, my students and my colleagues have my heart. So I think in order to lead with compassion, to lead with a true understanding of the situation, emotions must come into play, especially for someone who needs the whole picture.
When I think about who I am, I wear many hats - mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, friend - but part of who I am is how I experience the world around me. I am observant, emotional and compassionate. I love pretty things, and am drawn to capture moments in time. I am a picture thinker and I shine because of it.
