To Teach

To Teach

 I went to school to become a teacher and my last year of school I decided I didn't want to be a teacher so I graduated and in the spring and went into the Army that summer. I decided my last year of college that I probably wasn't cut out to be a teacher and it would be a mistake to follow through on that. It wasn't that I didn't like teaching, it was just that I thought I wasn't mature enough to be a High School teacher. Which being a 22 years old(kid) at the time it felt strange that I could be teaching in a high school at that age. I thought how could a 22 year old kid teach teenage kids, it just didn't make sense for me. I felt I had some growing up to do.

Fast forward to now, it is rather funny to think that what I do now is coach/teach kids, teenagers and High schoolers, college kids and adults. I would never have guessed this is what I would be doing when I was 22. Which I guess most people would probably say. I knew I wasn't ready to teach kids when I got out of college because I thought I wasn't mature enough yet. Which was true but now looking back on what makes a good teacher/coach. Maturity is a big factor but more importantly is a sense of putting other peoples needs before your own that is paramount. 

As a Teacher/Coach it's not about your knowledge or your fitness level it's about your students/athletes knowledge or abilities. There's a saying, there's no bad students only bad teachers, which I admit is hard to swallow because we all know some a-hole people that are hard to help. A good teacher/coach needs to take personal ownership of their students/athletes progress. 

A true Teacher/Coach is there to help their students/athletes to achieve better even if that means they surpass the teacher/coach. The teacher/coach needs to put the growth of their student/athlete above their own. This is not an easy task but a very important one. 

Along with that a good teacher/coach just simply needs to care about their students/athletes. Being an expert or being great in your field doesn't make you a great  teacher. Take someone that is very strong physically, just because they are very strong doesn't mean that they teach or get other people to be strong. 

Having ability doesn't make you a great teacher/coach, having an ability to relate to people and care about people does make you better coach. 

Looking back at myself maturity is an important part of being a teacher/coach but relating and caring about your students/athletes is just as or more important. 

If you find yourself in a leadership, teaching or coaching role remember to put those who you are charged with leading, teaching and coaching needs above your own and focus your attention upon making them better and you and your team will become better