“To teach is to learn the second time”
My first class went almost how I thought it might turned out. I blacked out. Not blacked out as in I froze up in class. Blacked out as in I don’t recall what happened during that one hour. It was the same the first time i drove a car or during my first public speaking. The script that I have been mentally preparing didn’t happened. None of the scenarios I prepared myself to handle happened. The only thing that I anticipated would happen was my blacked out and that happened.
The first unanticipated thing was how different everyone is. I am inflexible and with fresh memories of the difficulty I faced when I first started, I thought I could relate. However, everyone is built differently and I missed that fact. The challenges I faced was so different from others. That froze me up when I try to figure out how to help them. Being inexperienced in dealing with these scenarios cost me the opportunities to make my students better.
The second unanticipated thing was how often I need to remind the students the same thing again and again. I can’t mentioned it once and expect them to remember throughout the class. This is probably something I forgot to notice when I started out since all concentration is already on trying to get better into a pose.
The third unanticipated was the support and the encouragement from my family, colleagues and friends. Even my partner’s father came! The applauses from my classmates after I finished my class was what snapped me back from my blacked out. I am so humbled when they feedback that they enjoyed and felt they benefited from the class. Seeing all smiles and the tired satisfaction look on their face was the best thing I can hoped for.
When I told my classmates we will meet at the finish line, I realised now it is only the beginning of another learning journey. Let’s continue learning and be better!
Leo Yaik @ahtut
