Teachers Come In All Shapes And Sizes

All learners should be teaching, and all teachers should be learning

We have a tendency to look at learning as a one-way street.  In reality, learning is a two-way street and much more.  There are learning opportunities and teaching moments around us every day.  Recently, through The Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship at Oral Roberts University, I’ve had the opportunity to lecture in several classes.  While I hope the students took something away from the experience, I can certainly assure you that I learned more from the encounter than they did. 

 

Dave Ramsey is a friend and colleague I really admire.  He has probably done more to get Americans out of debt than anyone.  Dave often speaks of his daily hours on the radio as a learning opportunity for him reinforcing the lessons that he struggles with himself.  I believe in the old adage that if you really want to learn something, teach it.  This is also true of writing a book or composing these weekly columns. 
 
Periodically, we all should think about what we believe in and things that are impactful enough for us to state them emphatically or put them in writing to share with the world.  Many times I have started a book or one of these weekly columns believing I was headed in a clear direction only to find that my message was not what I thought it was.  On these occasions, I am certain that I learn as much or more than my readers do from the experience.
 
If you are a teacher, trainer, or thought-leader, you should not only be imparting wisdom and knowledge, but you should be learning and growing from the process.  Given the rapid pace of innovation and the proliferation of information, we all must constantly be learners or we are inevitably falling behind.  There is no subject, topic, or field of endeavor in which the state of the art is not rapidly advancing.  There was a time when the Wright brothers were on the cutting edge of the aviation industry and teaching the world how to fly, but their greatest knowledge and most significant breakthroughs would seem archaic here in the 21st century.
 
All learners should be teaching, and all teachers should be learning.  No matter how much formal classroom education you have had, the majority of what you learn, know, and apply in life will come from real world experiences and learning opportunities outside of the classroom.  My late, great friend and mentor Coach John Wooden was formally educated as an English teacher.  He repeatedly expressed the sentiment that he always considered himself a teacher, but his classroom became a basketball court. 
 
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Let the lesson begin.
 
As you go through your day today, commit to being both a student and a teacher.
 
Today’s the day!