It's really interesting regardless of whether you're an introvert or not. She makes some good points all around and if you're like me (an introvert) you'll likely see some of yourself in what she says.
By the way, it's painfully true what she says about school and group work. I hated it when I was in school and I wasn't particularly fond of it when I was teaching. It serves a purpose, but dammit, I like my rows. I don't think there's anything wrong with rows. In fact, I think it's the ideal class set up. Screw the pods! Rows are flexible in a way that pods can never be.
First off, kids can work alone. Secondly, they're more likely to pay attention to the front of the room and not chit chat with one another or be distracted by other stimuli (like lizards, fish and crickets... no, that is not a potshot... okay it is). Thirdly, desks can be moved. So what it if takes ten minutes of your class time to get everyone organized. You lose ten minutes disciplining kids who are already in groups anyway. Fourthly, the kids who like to work alone can and won't be shooting death stares at you. Fifthly, you're encouraging independent thought and frankly, I'm all for people thinking for themselves and working through problems.
In teacher's college, I hated Tuesdays and Thursdays because I had upward of six hours of sitting in groups, being crammed in small rooms with the same people around me. I'm surprised I only had to leave twice to avoid a panic attack. By the end of the day, I was restless, I wasn't paying attention and pretty much the only concrete thought going through my head was: "I am so sick of seeing your face, get out of my space, your voice is making my ears bleed".
And you know, accommodating everyone isn't that hard. Some teachers managed it with me. As a teacher, I managed it with my students. Once, there weren't enough books so the students had to read in pairs. I usually ended up with three or four extras. I knew there was one girl who hated group work, so I always gave her one of the extras and offered up the others to whoever wanted them. No one even noticed aside from the two of us.
Extroverts have powers. Sometimes I envy those powers. My sister is an extrovert and when I watch her, sometimes I wish I could command attention the way she does. But introverts have powers too. Our powers are more discreet and you may not realize we're using them, but that just proves how awesome we truly are.
Lauren.
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