having an “ah ha!” moment

I love teaching and love watching others have that "ah ha!" moment. I was a certified Language Arts high school teacher and with high school students, the ah ha moments are a bit different than when you teach someone a skill. When I was teaching high school, I had to often drag my students through things before they stopped and realised it didn’t have to be that hard and just started doing what was expected. Then the ah ha moments started happening more often and easily and they really started to enjoy what they were doing. What I think I loved the best about working with high school students is when I know I reached one of them and they saw the connections between themselves and the world outside. Often those moments were accompanied with hugs and declarations about themselves and lots of smiles. I live for those moments.

Teaching high school went away when I started my journey through breast cancer treatment and I haven’t been able to return. I continue to teach but in a different venue. I miss the young adults, learning as much about themselves as they did the material we covered. I love the energy being around kids and they way they push me and teach me just as much as I push them and teach them. I was told a long time ago that good teachers learn as much as they teach. I always try for that ideal.

Now I teach more skill oriented things. I have had several sewing students over the past years and I have taught many classes via the SCA. I have taught as complex skills as body block patterning to simple things like adapting a commercial pattern to true Medieval style. I have recently been asked, repeatedly, to teach Viking wire knit and have done so many times in the past few years. The problem with that is the up front prep I have to do to get kits ready for students to get them started. I get totally different "ah ha" moments from these students because they can actually physically demonstrate their new skills. It still gives me that little lift knowing I’ve passed more knowledge and skills along.

The one thing that’s frustrating for me is when students "don’t get it". I try every which way to teach them and even demonstrate skills and I still get some who will never "get it." I was over at a friend’s house a few months ago and her sewing student was there and I tried to teach her one simple thing, even walked her through it twice and she still didn’t get it. She even said as much and the only thing I can account for that lacking on her part isn’t my way of teaching but maybe the way she absorbs, or not, information given to them. There are people out there that are a bit thick and need things spoon fed to them slowly over time. I try not to move too fast for anyone but obviously I can at times and those ah ha moments will be much slower in happening for those people.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to return to the classroom again due to physical limitations now but at least I have my "other" students who really want to learn. I still have valuable skills to teach and I will still be striving for more "ah ha" moments.

J