Teaching was something I never aspired to do, but when given the chance to be a radio Instructor at the world famous SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), I jumped at it. Was I nervous? Yes... but I was also terrified! After a while, it was just like coaching/mentoring, something I have done all my life. I have been a Big Brother through BBBS for many years and I have always coached hockey, baseball you name it. I'm not sure there's anything in life more rewarding than seeing someone reach their potential. There's no words to describe it.
I always told my students not to worry about their marks. This drove the brainiacs crazy as they wanted to live in the A range. I told them if you are true to the process, the marks will take care of themselves; also, nobody will ever ask you what mark you got on a certain assignment when applying for a job. My advice to them was, if you can't put this on a demo reel, or it isn't good enough to get you a job, do it again. Despite what you may hear in the speakers, radio is very blue collar. Dig in, get your hands dirty and don't look for any credit. If it sounds good to you, I guarantee you it's great because we are our own worst critic. The Rubric's I designed for them were focused on growth as a broadcaster, not a simple assignment to get marks. This is all a learning process in the journey of making them great. One of my favourite parts of teaching was to hear improvements in their work from project to project. That's how I knew I was doing my job.
Little did I know there was report card for me, as the teacher, completed by the students. It's always a little nerve wracking to see what they say about you. Keep in mind it's an anonymous process and I will never find out who said what. It was my first foray into teaching, so I was prepared for anything. To say I am humbled is an understatement. I am super proud that we had such a mutual respect.
I have enclosed some comments below:
Comments