The Joy of Teaching

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a big nerd. I’ve always loved school and learning and am still connected to a handful of teachers who made a difference in my life. Feeling their continued support and seeing their joy at my success is something I will never forget each time I reconnect with them.

Now, I’ve started understanding just a bit of how they must be feeling. Recently, I started working with an intern. This may seem surprising; how would a small business have enough work to need an intern? Truthfully, I don’t always, but I knew I wanted to give back to a program that meant the world to me, my high school’s internship program, in which juniors and seniors are required to work at an internship on specific afternoons instead of being in class.

Now, I get the joy of seeing my intern learn things for the first time that are old hat to me, and light up when they suddenly understand a new concept. It’s rekindled some of my own excitement that can sometimes get lost in the day-to-day of trying to keep everything running.

When not having them work on a specific task, I often ask for research (it’s like having my own Gen Z think tank right at my fingertips!). The poor thing is constantly peppered with questions: Do you actually care about that? Why does that interest you? Who do you actually follow? Is that one marketing point as important as we all think it is?

Sometimes, I can see a hint of side-eye. They must be thinking, “Shouldn’t you know this already?”

And yet, my eyes are continuously opened to what is and isn’t actually resonating with our younger generations and why. They are a fount of knowledge, and they don’t even know it. While I may be teaching them practical skills like how to do an informational interview, how to update your website, and sourcing talent, they are teaching me so much more.

This makes me wonder, how can I bring teaching further into my work? It’s a question I haven’t found an answer to yet, but it hangs out there for me waiting to be sorted out.

One action I know I can take now is making sure my clients feel empowered with everything I create for them. I know my own value, as do they, but I don’t want to leave them hamstrung without me. They should need me not for my technical skills, but for my consulting skills. I want them to know how to fully operate their own business. Just as I know I want my intern to walk away with tangible skills they won’t need me for in the future.

I guess that’s the point of teaching—letting your little birdies fly. Hats off to those who do it every day. In the meantime, I intend to soak up all of the goodness from my intern, clients, and the world around me that I can.

Lesson Learned: Teaching also brings you knowledge. Be open to all of the lessons you can glean from any situation, it may just open your eyes to how special your world is.