From Student to Teacher by Heidi

From Student to Teacher by Heidi - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

You really begin to understand what you have learned when you receive the opportunity to teach someone else. Often we feel we have mastered a lesson, concept, or idea, but the moment we are asked to articulate what was learned, we realize our lack of complete understanding. One of my most proud moments in school came as I was asked to teach a "Body Weight Management" course to my fellow students. I had studied diligently, done well on the assignments and tests, and now with the opportunity to teach, I was nervous and excited to see how well I truly understood what I had been taught.
Day one was intimidating on many levels! I was teaching fellow students my same age, and suddenly felt silly being given such a responsibility as I was just a student myself. Like a child playing school with friends, and acting as a teacher while the friends act as students. In this childs game nobody actually knew what to teach, and nobody was expected to really teach the group something new. But that first day was different. This time it was real, and it was time to grow up.
Over the next few months I consciously chose to overcome my fears and assume my role as a teacher while remaining open to feedback and critique. For example, I began to confidently expect their attention as a teacher would, and held firmly to my three clearly established rules, even when doing so made things slightly awkward for a specific student or our class. Yet I strove to maintain an attitude of understanding and appreciation for my students, and was open to make changes when I was wrong, or things could be improved.
The class was mostly a hands on course, exposing the students to different types of exercise while including a few nutrition focused lecture days in the classroom. Most days I led workouts, and exercised alongside them, pushing them as I pushed myself. As a result, we all benefitted and learned together, and we became very close as the months progressed. Sometimes we even got together on the weekends just to work out or play a new sport we had learned in the class together.
Teaching and directing the course wasn't easy, and reserving exercise rooms, sections of the gym, or sports courts was a daily assignment for me, along with grading papers, submitting attendance, and reporting to my faculty advisor. I was constantly out of my comfort zone, which is why it was such a great experience. I felt myself growing, and became confident in the knowledge I had gained in preparing to teach the course. I knew it in my head, and I knew how to apply and share it with others. I am proud of this accomplishment, of having taught a course while still a student myself, because it pushed me to a new cognitive, social, and confidence level I had not previously attained, and solidified my acquired knowledge as I shared it with others.