Be Patient!

As a tech geek, everything with technology has always come easy to me. So naturally, I assumed it was the same for everyone else. Surprise! It's not.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the lesson I am working on that I forget that my students do not all learn at the same pace I did. I tend to write my lesson notes as far as necessary for me to understand the topic. Of course, my students are not me. They are also not all the same. So after I have written them once, I have to go back and expand on each topic so that someone who is a beginner at the program or concept I am teaching can appropriately learn it.

It's so easy to forget that you are an expert at what you teach. You've done it, you've taught it, and with each lesson you expand your skills with it. Your students, on the other hand, are either unfamiliar or not as versed in the concept. They will take more time to grasp what you are teaching.

My advice for today is to be patient. I will be the first to tell you that patience is not a virtue I possess, but in teaching it is a necessity. Kids are smart, and they adapt well to just about anything. They will soak up the knowledge you have to teach them, if you allow them to. Give them time to learn, and don't rush them. Your patience will pay off, I promise.