Become Your Best Teacher

Ok, so even as I wrote the title of this one I thought of Parks & Recreation and Donna saying treat yo' self! But why shouldn't learning be a treat as well. We do all types of things in the name of self-care, but so often we let our intellectual selves grow stagnant. I know, a lot of people were not about school and as soon as they were liberated from the formal education settings they vowed to never: read a book-write a paper-research anything-solve an equation again. But learning isn't limited to whatever you were exposed to in your formal education.

I used to mentor a little girl who loved to draw. They had art classes in school, but she was so far ahead of her peers. So one day while she was illustrating the next chapter of her graphic novel - she didn't realize that's what she was doing - I asked her how she learned to draw so well. She told me that she would watch YouTube videos and that in addition to drawing she was learning Japanese…from YouTube. I was thoroughly impressed. Here was this seven year old kid who knew she'd gotten all she could from the classroom and decided to teach herself more. And not only that, she'd found out she had a love for language and pursued that too. All from her computer, all for free.

It's wonderful how much access we have to things today. You literally can try your hand at just about anything from the comfort of your home, without spending much if any money and without worrying about if you make a mistake. But so often I find myself interested in something but still too nervous to even do a search on YouTube. I know I'm not alone here. We can come up with all types of excuses for why we won't try things, and I honestly think it comes down to fear.

Maybe you were greatly discouraged by a teacher who said you couldn't write and gave you Cs. Or maybe, like me, you suffered from test anxiety and so the thought of pursuing anything that may require a test stresses you out. Maybe at the one dance recital where you had a solo you got scared and forgot your moves and could hear people giggling. So now you won't even try to take that belly dancing class that's calling your name. Well, you know what I think it's time we wave farewell to the fear that's inhibiting us. Let's make a promise to ourselves that no matter what, we'll always strive to be like my mentee and nurture a spirit that's willing to learn!