Thursday, September 7, 2017

I've Been Asked to Teach Again!

I have been a teacher for many years. It's so much fun watching young people and grown ups reach that "A-ha" moment when you know they've got it!! The idea, relayed properly, explained, discussed, flourishes in someone's mind and blossoms into a spark. That spark is learning. It feels so good when you see that spark brighten one's eyes. The realization that the learning process has occurred and knowledge has been imparted from one to another. Especially when the process is made to be fun! What's even better when the process goes through collaboration where both the teacher and the student learn from each other. The teacher learns a better way of teaching while the student learns new knowledge.

News Corp, one of my clients, has asked me to become a Certified Representative Trainer. In this position, I will be training new Customer Representatives to run a territory, make certain ads are placed properly and how to work with store management. For two years, I have been a Customer Representative and enjoyed working with the News Corp and store management. I will also continue to run a territory.

My first students were interns at WQED. Information spread both ways, learning from the students and teaching them new processes of how to get production work done in a real television station. Some, I taught how to write. Some I taught how to produce and how to production manage.

I set up two college internship programs, one at Mercy Hospital and one at Reliance Training Networks, Inc (RTN). I wrote curriculum and marketed the program to local colleges and universities so that we could find the best students to fill our positions. RTN wanted the program so that they could actually make new hires with experience on their system -- have them trained to the RTN way of life before paying them. RTN-U, as the program was called, had 25 interns, 10 of whom were hired. Robert Morris University was so impressed with RTN-U that they asked me to be part of a panel discussion on how to create and run an internship program! So much fun!!

Temple Sinai of Pittsburgh asked me to teach music to K-3 students. Once a week, I planned Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and English songs to teach in the classroom, each geared to the proper age group. I sang and played guitar. During the weekly service, I always hoped that I did not have to play guitar with the Rabbi. He is a phenomenal musician and, while I'm not bad myself, keeping up with him was like running a race fully clothed under water! It was SO HARD to keep up with him! He's such a wonderful guy!! (Not meant sarcastically at all!!!) 

Twice a year, I have a wonderful client who I thoroughly enjoy. I teach for the Allegheny County Elections Division. New poll workers start every election season, spring and fall, and need to be formally trained. Also, every four years, poll workers, by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law, must be re-trained. I train these adult students on how to set up, close out and run the election machines during election day. I have also been a poll worker for 17 years and a Judge of Elections for seven, Because of my many years as a Judge, I am also an instructor in the Procedure and Paperwork class, attended by most Judges of Election.  

It is enjoyable to teach, train and lecture in front of crowds. Singing in front of a crowd is fun, too, especially when teaching the students! The kids loved it so much that we often didn't hear the bell ringing at the end of class. Their parents weren't so happy as they stormed the door!! 

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