The Facets of Equuality - Teaching

In which I explain why I think every student is a teacher.

I never expected to become a teacher of horsemanship. However, I was lucky enough to have teaching thrust on me, so to speak, and I will be forever grateful for that.

From Student to Teacher

In my experience, there are three main ways to learn.

The first way of learning is by osmosis: being lectured to, watching others, reading books, etc. This is the most basic form of learning, the one with the least depth, because it provides only an intellectual understanding of the material. It is easy to be quite "book smart" without have any practical skills in the area of study. However, I don't say this to belittle this form of learning - it is an important way to gain access to new insights, ideas, and knowledge.

The second way of learning is by application: getting hands-on and using the skills you are trying to develop. Many people don't realize that an incredible amount of learning happens in the doing. That is why it is so critical to feel free to make mistakes - without the freedom to perform imperfectly, it is impossible to actually develop a new skill.

The final way of learning is by teaching: trying to explain and demonstrate knowledge and skills in such a way that another can learn from you and your example. In this third phase, we try to explain and demonstrate ideas in such a way that the other can learn them through osmosis. Then we try to set up situations where the other can learn through their own application. Finally, we hope to empower the other to become a teacher themselves, so that they may advance in this third aspect of their own learning.

Teacher as Average Joe

What most people have a hard time understanding is that a teacher is nothing more than a deeper level of student, not something separate and above. The great teacher is not some god-like figure who sits on high with a powerful store of sacred knowledge. Rather, they are a person just like you or I, an average Joe who is brave enough to share their understanding and experience so that others might benefit from it.

This transition from student to teacher is not a reserved privileged, but rather a responsibility that is part of the process of being a great student. I think Frederick Nietzsche said it quite well: "You are rewarding a teacher poorly if you remain always a pupil."

Overcoming the Fear of Teaching

When I begin encouraging another to teach, the most common objection I hear is that they feel they are not skilled enough or knowledgeable enough to teach. They are afraid that they will teach their subject "wrong."

That's just plain rubbish.

As teachers we are really story tellers, sharing the truth of our own experiences. This is true whether you are teaching horsemanship or physics, political science or cooking. There is no human knowledge that is not informed by the human experience. So, as long as you teach what you have found to be true and don't pretend that you are teaching The Truth, there is no need to fear and so much to gain.

My Practice

My horsemanship practice has included teaching from nearly the very first. After a brief period of leasing a "dead broke" trail horse, I was thrown into working with young stock on a breeder's farm.

While I was not teaching humans on the farm, I was most certainly educating the horses I worked with. Was it always perfect? Of course not. Were both the horses and I better for the experience than we would have been without it? I'm sure of it.

Not to long after, I fell into another significant teaching role: Kali and I began to volunteer at a large rescue and out of necessity started developing a volunteer training program.

Most of the individuals interested in volunteering were in love with horses but knew nothing about them. To get the work done we taught horsemanship skills to over one hundred people in a six month period. In that span we went from having sixty five horses, nearly none of which could be caught to having over one hundred head, nearly all of which were eager to come out to socialize, have vet work done, get trimmed, and learn in the arena. Again, was it all perfect? Certainly not. Were we all better off on the other side? I'm sure we were.

Ever since I've been moving more and more into the realm of the teaching student: writing, teaching lessons, and offering Equuality Experiences. It's such a blast.

Your Practice

If you don't feel like you've ever stepped into the role of the teacher with your horsemanship, perhaps now is the time to start. Help your horse to develop a new skill or better understand an old one. See if you can assist a stable-mate with an issue they are experiencing. Invite a friend from work to come out and play with you and your horse.

If you are already teaching, maybe now is the time to expand your practice. Do you teach riding, but shy away from sharing your knowledge of ground work? Perhaps you have a new technique you've been experimenting with that is ripe to be shared. How about starting a blog or making a YouTube video to spread your experiences to a bigger audience?

No matter where you are in the progression from student to teacher, there is always a way to share yourself a little more openly. The sky's the limit. Let your imagination run wild. Just have a good time and don't take yourself too seriously.

blog comments powered by Disqus