In Rath's Strenghts Finder 2.0 my main strength was WOO, which stands for winning over others. People who have WOO as their main strength strive to get to know things about everyone they meet and meet as many people as possible. This fits really well with me as I love to get to know random people when I am out and about. For me, there is something about getting to know people and their interests and form friendships and bonds through that.
Recently I had the great experience to read the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. The book is all about finding your strengths using the book and helpful website (code required).
http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-20.aspx
Now I am sure you are wondering what that book has to do with the title of this post...and the joyous picture of Ted Mosby ("How I Met Your Mother"). Well if you have watched the show you will recall the "Woo Girl" episode. Now long long long long long story short, woo girls go "woo", loud and very often. They are outgoing women who shout "woo" at bars. While this really has nothing much to do with what WOO means in strength finder, the connection makes me happy, so you can deal with it.
In Rath's Strenghts Finder 2.0 my main strength was WOO, which stands for winning over others. People who have WOO as their main strength strive to get to know things about everyone they meet and meet as many people as possible. This fits really well with me as I love to get to know random people when I am out and about. For me, there is something about getting to know people and their interests and form friendships and bonds through that.
Well riddle me this Batman, how are you going to use a skill suited for talking with random people in the streets to create something positive in the classroom. Well good news! WOO is a great skill for an educator, it allows us to get to know every single one of our students and then form specific plans to help the needs of everyone. Now I know there are some negatives to that too, you cant be outgoing and get to know people and then have no tools in which to build off of that knowledge. Well it is funny that you say that because another one of my top 5 strengths, was empathy. To put it short and simple, empathy makes me a good listener, and in tune to what I can do to help people that I get to know. Wow looks like I am just the best bundle of communication and listening, and you can find out your strengths too by going to the link I posted earlier and buying yourself a book. Also if you are looking for more by Rath, a great followup book of his is posted in the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Strengths-Based-Leadership-Leaders-People/dp/1595620257/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454545053&sr=1-4&keywords=strength+finders
And as always follow me on twitter @mrihrig00 and here is a link to my linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-ihrig-1a4303114
6 Comments
Nikita
2/7/2016 12:53:13 pm
I loved your Batman joke. I did think your post was a little vague as to what you were going to do with the strengths in your classroom. You touched on what you were going to do with your personal strengths, but not how you would use those strengths to help your students discover their strengths. I felt that you could have added a little more detail. So how will you help your students discover their strengths and use them in their everyday lives? I do agree that others should buy the book and that it was smart to suggest that they do.
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Anna Capre
2/7/2016 04:12:35 pm
How will you manifest the strengths of your students? How will you find the strengths of your students? It is imperative teachers utilize their students strengths
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Mary Beth
2/7/2016 04:35:50 pm
How can you other strengths come into play in the classroom? You covered how the "woo" can and can't help you, but there are other strengths provided with the book.
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Nick Robinson
2/7/2016 07:06:50 pm
I am not at all surprised to see Woo at the top of your strengths. This is a tremendously valuable trait of a teacher; there is often a "problem" child that can be difficult to connect with compared to other students. Your ability to bring out the potential in these traditionally overlooked kids will be valuable. What other ways can you think of putting your top strengths into use in the classroom?
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Natalia Kellamis
2/7/2016 08:37:04 pm
As someone who shares the Woo treat, I understand the need to get to know everyone right away. I also understand that need in the classroom. What will you do in your classroom with students who are shy or soft spoken who don't open up to you as immediately as you want, or the ones who find it threatening if you know too much?
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drann
2/16/2016 09:29:28 am
Your colleagues said exactly what I was thinking.... more detail and am eager to know how you will put your strengths to use in the classroom.
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