identitySPECIALIST

There’s nothing that intimidates me more than teaching adult learners – teaching students that are 10-15-20 years my senior. It doesn’t matter that I have a degree or 2 more than they do, they’re older. I’m not sure if it’s the Asian in me that just has this super healthy respect for my elders, but it’s just intimidating. That being said….I had the best time teaching adults this week.
Even when you are teaching someone older with more life experience, when you know your stuff, you know your stuff. It’s my subject area. I’ve read it; studied it; learned it. I know this stuff, and I’m not any better – I just have taught it over and over again. It’s not just knowing the stuff though. It’s knowing how to teach it, and really it’s knowing how to trick people into learning it.
The more I write this, I’m starting to realize, that it’s not the teaching adult students that I enjoyed. It’s not that I knew the information. It’s not that I’m a great teacher. I think the thing that I absolutely enjoyed was just teaching. No matter what age the student, when the light bulb turns on and you can see it in their face – when they look at you with that face of amazement and that connection comes – that’s what I love. I love it when you can help someone learn. I love it when they learn. I love it when I learn – when I learn stuff that makes me a better teacher.