Why I Love To Teach

Happy new year to you all and welcome to the first blog of 2021.  

Wishing you all health, prosperity and happiness in abundance for the year ahead.

My first blog this year will focus on why I love to teach and the numerous benefits associated with teaching.  I was fortunate to be taught and learned from many great clinicians.  Now I feel a responsibility to give back.  If you know more than most about a particular area within dentistry, then you are an expert to someone. And that means you have a responsibility to share with them what you know.  Derek Sivers (writer and entrepreneur) says “What’s obvious to you is amazing to others.”

For me, to be successful at teaching I am required to have a deep understanding of the topic being taught.  I need to be able to articulate something complex into simpler bite size portions allowing others to understand.  It forces me to increase my knowledge and understanding. Peter Drucker (educator and author) said “No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.”  Teaching drives me to continuously be better.

When I teach I also learn, as teaching can reveal gaps in my knowledge which can then be addressed as Seneca (roman philosopher) said “while we teach, we learn.” 

When I learn with the intention to teach I am forced to learn more deeply.

Teaching is both challenging and rewarding.  It is great to see colleagues develop and refine skills.   Through teaching I have been able to build deeper relationships with colleagues.  

Teaching is a valuable skill and the more I do it the better I become.

I encourage everyone to teach what they learn.  It reinforces learning and forces us to continually improve.  I love to teach. It is a privilege.  It is a journey.