Being A Teacher

I've never been one to shy away from public speaking. (Image by someone at T.I.v4- Thanks!)

So, about every year this time I end up teaching a mechanics class for the shop where I work. It is a small thing, only two sessions, and maybe eight to ten folks get in to it total. It isn't that big of a deal. Not too intimidating, well.....for me, anyway. I can't speak for anyone else.

Ironically, back in my youth, I was strongly considering becoming a teacher. I likely would have ended up becoming an art teacher, although back then I wanted to do Industrial Arts. Then I got into college without any clear plan, found out about beer and bands, and that I could skate through school without much effort. I didn't think anybody cared, so I left the whole teaching thing behind.

I probably wouldn't have made a very good teacher anyway. Not one a "school system" would have liked, at any rate! But that's all old news and water under the dam now. One thing I always did have going for me was a willingness to "step up to the mic". I remember when I kind of realized this about myself.

It was on a group ride very early in the Spring one year when the snow wasn't melted yet. A TV crew was talking to people about the break in the weather, and they asked some of our party to talk. They all came running back to where I was, asking the rest of us if anyone of us would talk to the TV people. No one really felt like doing it and were in "cowering mode". I thought they were all just being silly, and I said, "I'll go do it! They are just people, ya know!"

Anyway, so that was when I realized I didn't mind speaking in front of a camera, mic, or to a big crowd of people. Whether or not I am "informative" and give folks value for their money spent to take a mechanics class is anyone's guess!