It’s good to take the time to appreciate the little moments that make teaching such a pleasure. I had such a moment this morning. I received a text from one of my students, Ivette, who just received her yellow belt last night (she killed it by the way). I had used her as my demonstration partner last night, having delivered a knee strike to her lateral femoral motor point. The text she sent me today said this: “I’m so happy to have gotten my first belt… 😀 So excited still for some reason. I’m looking forward to learn new things. Also, I have a really good reminder of last night’s class… Every time I walk, I get reminded of what it’s like to get hit in the lateral femoral… hehe. So that’s two 1st timers from you, (being hit in the) solar plexus and lateral femoral… lol.”

This warms my teaching heart on a number of levels. First, it’s awesome how excited she is to keep learning and that she’s getting the high from training that I get from the martial arts. If someone finds that love the way I have, I’m doing my job. I also love how tough she is, that she thinks of these experiences of taking uncomfortable hits and is able to laugh them off, while appreciating the lesson learned.

You can never know how long you’ll have a student train with you. They may get a job that keeps them from being able to train. They may move away. Or they may stay in your area and train as a dedicated students for years to come. But if you can touch someone’s life in a positive way, no matter how long they’re in your life, well, it’s moments like that make life beautiful. 🙂

Have you had any recent memorable teaching experiences? If so, please feel free to share them in the comments.

Tags: student appreciation