Learning from Teaching

Teaching within the four walls of a room (20 years) has taught me countless lessons which now come in handy as we can't reach the outside world or function without the Internet. 

Yes, the grace of teaching has taught me values that I would never have learned elsewhere. Let me cite the four I had prayed hard for, because they were impossible to summon on my own: patience, self-restraint, giving back, and tact.

Patience: Having overstayed in a business that required “yesterday” deadlines, I looked over my staff’s shoulders and exacted from everyone speedy work. In a classroom, waiting is key. Students need space and time to think on their own.

Self-restraint: Losing one’s cool was a daily fare in my former stress-filled workplace, where accounts might be lost anytime. In the classroom, teachers who lose their cool lose their students’ confidence in themselves.

Giving back: I amassed enough knowledge and experience in the corporate world from clients and peers. These treasured trophies have to be shared or they’d gather dust and rust. I strewed them inside the classroom for students to pick up and put to use now and in the future.

Tact: Teaching is like writing. There is always a kinder word, a better phrase, and a more uplifting clause than what are on the first draft. In delivering bad news or critical feedback, I tweak and prune my initial language to encourage smiling instead of shaking.

I had never taken “role modeling” as seriously as when I was on campus (now replaced with bandwidth by the pandemic).

Most of my former students are now leaders in their chosen fields here and abroad, and although I won’t take any credit for their successes, I receive “thank-you notes” that make me feel intensely grateful for the chance to have been a part of their lives inside the classroom.