Were You Born to Teach?

All my life, I never thought I was a teacher. I thought I didn't have the patience to teach students, since my idea of being a teacher meant I would be standing in front of 25 or more fifth graders all talking at once, and my brain would immediately begin to smoke from mentally trying to control my patience. Then I moved through life and learned that being a teacher was more than just the formal academic style of teaching; it actually meant I would pass along my knowledge and expertise to those who want it, need it or request it. Wow! How empowering to think I have something to teach another individual. I must say that I highly respect those who teach in formal setting, and my hat goes off to them.

When I realized this, my personal philosophy began to adjust, transform and expand. I made the effort to become conscious of when I was "teaching" and when I might be "learning." It wasn't long before I understood that I was easily and instantaneously flipping between these two roles without interruption. I knew then we all were born to teach, and our teaching careers begin with our first breaths. As we journey through life, our "student" and "teacher" selves are invoked based on the experience or situation we happen to find ourselves in and at which point one of these two energies becomes primary. I was able to discern when my teacher role kicked in, which was when I was being asked to share any knowledge I had to another individual and realized that when I was in "listening" mode my student self stepped forward.

My question to you is, do you believe you were born to teach? If so, what is your personal teaching philosophy? I've spoken about this topic in previous blog posts. But with this new year, the new vibration and the new energy, we're all being asked to step up our teaching games. I didn't quite believe by how much until recently when I was asked to partner with an amazing woman and collaborate on teaching courses. Within the next four weeks I not only will be passively invoking my teacher self but actually standing in front of a classroom teaching. My younger years perspective of teaching is becoming a reality. (Not that I will be teaching fifth graders, but I will be teaching adults. And no, that doesn't mean I'm smarter than a fifth grader!)

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