“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” – B.B King, Blues Guitarist

I’ve learned a lot from so many people. As a school child, I have vivid memories of having that light bulb go off in my head when somebody found a way to unlock my lizard brain. 

Where would we be without great teachers??? In all aspects of life. From education to morals, having great teachers makes our world a better place. 

One of the things I take the most pride in is being a great teacher. I taught myself how to play guitar. I taught my younger cousins how to drive. I taught so many people how to play crib. At work, I’ve taught two employees how to operate my plasma machine. When my supervisor introduced me to our new night shift operator, he made a point to introduce me as a really great teacher. 

When it comes to education, I truly believe teachers are under appreciated, undervalued and definitely underpaid. I don’t understand why governments don’t put a greater emphasis on stronger and better education. As a society, don’t we want brighter minds and smarter humans??? 

When it comes to moral code, this is where I think teaching our children to be great people is paramount. Watching my baby boy interact has really shown me how we all start in this world with nothing but wonder and purity. 

My stepdaughter had her first badminton tournament last week, and I was so proud of her for not only engaging in a competitive environment, but how well her behaviour was. Her sportsmanship was on full display. No matter if she was losing or winning, she was smiling and treating her opponents with respect. There was also no officiating. The game was called by the players, and she called everything fairly and correctly. Even giving up one of her point for barely passing her racquet over the net. 

One of her games was against a Punjabi girl, and the girls family was sitting next to us. She had a little sister about four years old and my son absolutely loved her. The mother engaged in conversation with us, and we let the young children sit together. It was so adorable, the little girl held my son’s hand. So if you think racism is not taught, you’re out of your mind. 

Children’s brain’s are sponges so they soak up everything they’re taught at a much faster pace, so if you’re a parent think of how you act around them. You don’t know it but you’re teaching them without even thinking about it. I’ve had to be very cognizant of how I act when I’m watching hockey even. I don’t want my son to see me being reactive and outraged. 

I believe there are few key things all children should be taught; how to develop a good work ethic, why you should take pride in everything you do, how you should treat others with respect, and how to enjoy yourself. 

As an adult, I think we forget that we should never stop learning. Say what you will about technology, but it’s a great resource for seeking knowledge, even if it can be the greatest culprit of the complete opposite. I’ve “read” so many books through my Audible app that expanded my brain. As a homeowner I continue to add new skills to my tool belt by taking on every DIY project that presents itself. 

It’s never too late to learn a new skill. I love it when I see somebody taking on a new initiative for themselves. So many people want to learn how to play an instrument at an older age and I love when I see it! People start learning how to build furniture. People learn how to fish. People learn how to golf. The list goes on and on. 

In fact, teaching and learning are cohabitating skills. You learn by teaching and you teach by learning. When I start learning something, I try to teach it to myself the same way I would teach somebody something that I’m an expert in. I break it down into smaller bite sized pieces.

When I teach somebody how to play guitar, I start with the basics. First step is to get an understanding of each part of the guitar. Then I teach how to change the strings, and what each string is called. Next up is to learn how to tune the guitar properly. Once the mechanics are in place, then it is time to start learning chords.

My approach is to start from the beginning once again in every step. The reason I teach my students how to change the strings and know which string is which, is so this process is easier. I teach them how to read tablature and where to place each finger and on which fret. Once a chord has been properly executed, I start playing alongside. Next chord is taught, and then we practice switching between each chord. I believe that rhythm is something that comes naturally, so I don’t waste time in strumming patterns.

When I started learning how to build fences, I had a really great teacher who explained each step of the process, he made me watch the first attempt, then allowed me to learn by doing. Bing bang boom!

You’ve probably heard me ask this question before, but here it is again. How do we eat an Elephant? One bite at a time.

Same thing with learning and teaching. One step at a time.

So I encouraged you to never stop learning. Approach life with the curiosity of a child. And when you become competent, pass that knowledge onto others. Both learning and teaching are extremely gratifying practices in life.