We are all teachers on this earth. We help reflect to one another what is on the inside. When we interact with one another, it is important to notice what we are teaching one another. We teach others how to treat us, we teach others where our heart is residing, and most importantly we teach each other that which we choose to see.
A few years ago I had the privilege of teaching. The first lesson I learned and continue to learn is that to teach is also to realize you are the biggest student. To teach you are constantly learning. It can also be difficult to notice who really is the teacher and who is the student. Sharing our knowledge and expertise may give us the title of a teacher, but everyone is learning from the experience. When we separate ourselves and feel superior, we really aren’t helping anyone outside our ego. We are halting the learning of not only the student, but also our very own.
We grow by helping and sharing. We evolve from learning not only from our own experiences, but from our students as well. Not only are we in this field of life learning together, we are learning from one another. Regardless of what I shared, showed, or tried to teach in the curriculum, I realized that each student makes their learning their own. And how very differently we all learn.
You can take a group of students within the same curriculum and when it comes to applying the knowledge, they will all perform the tasks in their own rhythm and way. That is the beauty of life. We design, create, and produce from our own perspective and flair.
I’ve also learned from business coaching that I was always learning from every client I worked with. Most often clients needed more encouragement than they needed business advice. You could share ideas, help them to brainstorm, and occasionally point them into a helpful direction, but mostly they needed support. Once I realized this, I could be a better consultant. The key was acknowledging they were as much my teacher as I was theirs.
You can help others so much further when you can slide your ego over and approach the other as a teacher as well. I’ve found not only do you explain things better, you figure out better ways to help them understand the information. When you have the compassion to understand their perspective better, you can inspire, motivate, and instruct better.
Often we can forget why we teach. I do not believe it’s to separate us hierarchically, but to help another rise to a higher level. As you help another rise, you rise as well. We can catch ourselves in a slump when we forget we are students as well. We never stop learning and we never stop teaching. I find great peace in knowing that it’s impossible to know everything. It kind of sucks the fun right out of the mysteries in life when we think we have all of the answers.
Pay attention to what you teach and how you teach. We are either helping each other rise or fall. You always have a choice. I encourage you in your daily life to teach love, teach patience, teach understanding, teach respect, teach encouragement, and teach peace in all you do.