Sometimes I have a habit of trying things beyond my area of expertise, beyond my knowledge…and far beyond my comfort zone.
I like to believe that I am somewhat of a free spirit.
Exploring things unknown and foreign to me,
doing things others don’t expect of me,
following my heart before my head,
pretty much leaping before looking, regardless of the reprecussions.
Not gonna call myself a daredevil or thrill seeker in any physical way…but rather a “life seeker.” Trying to fulfill my life, and not giving myself a chance to have any regrets.
I believe there are moments in your life….forks in the road if you will. And that you have a choice every day to travel to whatever destination you choose.
When I was working as a costume designer, I was miserable.
{Read about my boss horror story here}
And day in and day out, I stayed because it paid the bills. My job gave me somewhat of a financial stability, but my mind was a wreck. Working everyday for someone who didn’t respect me or listen to what I had to say. Working long hours and never getting acknowledgement, the list goes on…
When a friend mentioned an instructor’s position opening up at a local fashion design school, I almost wrote it off.
I don’t have teaching credentials,
I have crazy stage fright
and I’m one of the shyest people you’ll ever meet.
Nothing about me screams instructor. And then I thought about my horrible boss, my so called career with no way up.
This was my fork in the road.
Stay at a dead end job and slowly whither away everyday, or take the leap and try…just try.
So after a couple interviews & one very small training session, I was a design teacher.
I was nervous. So much so, that I felt like I almost didn’t go through with it. So many doubts and fears. But I stayed. And I actually ended up teaching these classes & workshops while I was at the school:
Introduction to Communication Design
CAD Drawing
Creative Draping
Art 200
Art 204
Fashion Sketching & the Computer
Fashion Portfolio
History of Art
Sewing Workshop
Fashion Camp Sewing Workshop
I thought that I wasn’t cut out for teaching-dom, but for those 10 months, I was. I pushed myself in a way that was definitely not possible in my world. And I met some wonderful people and wonderful students..some of whom I still keep in touch with from time to time. And I got to put my fear of speaking in public, to the test.
The first days of teaching were rough. I was def not prepared to have 13 pairs of eyes staring at me, and only me. I fumbled when I spoke, I was extremely nervous, sweaty palms, and those stupid powerpoint slides…yea, no one looks at those. And since the first class I taught, was a computer class…everyone was on FACEBOOK! I didn’t get comfortable with disciplining til like the 2nd week. I felt like I was a horrible teacher at first, but I got the hang of it.
I don’t think I will put the effort into looking for a teaching gig again though. I had the heart of a teacher…wanting my students to excel, trying to push their limits, meticulous grading, and trying to instill a lil’ fun in learning….But the work, the effort put into teaching and planning an entire quarter takes a lot of time. Plus, it broke my heart to pieces when my students wouldn’t try, esp. when I knew they were much more capable. Also, I’m not as passionate about teaching as I am about design.
Lessons learned…
Students can smell fear.
Asking design students to follow a book will only end in disaster.
Design students can be “lazy” & full of pride.
Know every lecture & presented info. inside & out…don’t let the students question your expertise.
Putting boundaries on a design project will not let your students explore their creativity.
Looking just as old, if not, a lil younger than your students doesn’t help your case.
When students don’t try, it’s not a reflection of your teaching.
Teaching was a great experience. I had a couple bad moments, but all in all, I’m glad I had the chance to experience this. I did receive 2 Inspirational Teacher Awards while I was there, so that’s something to be proud of right?!
Have you ever taken a leap? Tried something that was out of your comfort zone?
xo, Louise
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I really enjoyed this post, Louise.
I taught a semester of pre-health program Biology, and it was honestly horrible, for me and probably for the students, too. A lot of them were mature students, the rest were either my age or just a few years younger.
I won’t teach in front of a class again, but I want to try teaching an online class before I give up on teaching completely. I’m hoping at some point in my career at the college that I’ll get the chance!
Pre-health biology!! Wow! While I was teaching there were a lot of insecurity issues. But in the end, we always have to be happy with the fact that we tried, and we gave it our best. Maybe not someone else’s view of the “best.” But in the end, who cares what they think right?! I def learned a lot when I was teaching…what boundaries I could push, what type of role model I wanted to be, and most esp…who I was. I’m with you about not teaching a class tho! haha An online class sounds like a great opportunity though, that would be awesome! XO
“When students don’t try, it’s not a reflection of your teaching.”
This is something that I always struggled with. How to reach students who just don’t care enough to try. It always feels personal to me, even though I know it is way more likely to be their home life or other situations that cause their lack of interest in school.
You taught quite the collection of classes! It sounds like even though you weren’t sure, you ended up rising to the occasion and doing a great job as a teacher.
Thx Katie! That’s exactly how I feel. I knew I shouldn’t take, what happened in the classroom, to heart…but I did. I’m only human. I had to always tell myself not to take things so personal….but it was a tough thing to do. Looking back, I wish I could have done more…reached out to them more, and in a more creative way. But you are right, who knows what was going on in their lives outside of school. Yes, it was quite a collection!! Each quarter was 5 weeks, so that’s how I was able to teach so many classes in a short amt of time! I think I did quite ok as a teacher…not something I think I’ll do again, but I’m happy I did it! XO
I am definitely at that point in my life where I am at a crossroads, trying to decide between two different paths career-wise. This post really helped me, and I appreciate your honesty so, so much. Thank you for always being such an inspiration to all of us, your readers.
I’m glad this post resonated well w/ you my friend! One thing I want you to consider, when deciding between your 2 careers…ask yourself, which one is the job, and which one is the career. Most likely the one that you dub the career will be the one you choose. In my opinion. You can flourish and excel in a career. Jobs are just meant to pay the bills. Hope that helps just a lil’ bit more. I’m happy to be an inspiration to you…it’s the best “career” I’m proud to put on my resume. XO
Wow, you taught a lot of classes! I have a minor in western art history and would have loved to hear one of your lectures! I spent a summer teaching an MCAT prep course… I wouldn’t say it was easy, but I think I was lucky as a teacher because all of the students were pre-med and extremely motivated!
Right?!! That is awesome that you minored in western art history…but I think you would have been super disappointed in my art history lectures. I was very limited in what I could teach. The students had to follow art history with a book (which for design students doesn’t work out)…they never paid attention to me, or what I had to say. I LOVE history, and I thought that my passion for it would reflect in my teaching…it didn’t. Honestly, that class was my worst class! One student was a huge bully, towards me! And some of the students replicated her attitude. Suffice it to day, it did not end well. It really does help when the students are willing to learn…wish I had your students =P XO
Such a great post, Louise! I am about to take a big leap in my life so was a perfect post to read!
“you have a choice every day to travel to whatever destination you choose.”
Yippeeeeee!
Thx Erika! Yes!! So happy that this resonated well with you. Life is about taking risks, and well…”living”! So excited for you! XO
Enjoying your posts, inspiring story, well done for taking the plunge
Thx Geraldine! Nice to meet you! XO
Yes, yes, so many things about this post resonated with me! I, too, taught for a very short while and learned more than my students probably did. It’s so important to be in that scary place where you’re pushing yourself to do something you never thought you’d do. For me, everything is a little bit like jumping into a pool before knowing how to swim. While it’s sometimes terrifying, it’s just the way that I work best. You learn from your mistakes, you become a stronger person, and your life just opens up before your eyes. I admire this about you, Louise, and your openness to whatever adventures lie ahead of you.
I think you and I are very similar J, and I didn’t realize you taught also. You gotta tell me about your teaching experience one day. I try not to let things terrify me, or prevent me from doing anything. But if I’m scared about anything, I use that fear to motivate me in a great way. The pool analogy is a great one! I’m so happy this post resonated with you. =)