by Fran Moriarty

Created on: January 25, 2009

The greatest teacher is the student. Education is all about learning. Teaching is the act of leading a learner to learning. The experienced learner is the student. Who better to teach than the student?

A student is a practicing learner. Some teachers have distanced themselves from the practice of learning. We all have met them in the classroom. They droll on about irrelevant things. They offer no motivation for the student to learn. They actually cause a potential learner to turn away learning. How many of us has had the geometry teacher who taught to hate geometry? My high school geometry teacher helped me to learn fear and dislike of math. He also taught me not to move in my seat, not to look around and not to smile. He not a student of math but rather a student of adolescent fears. We teach what we are learning. Learning begets learning.

I am a teacher. I was always a student. I was always learning. It is what me a good teacher. I taught my students how to learn. I taught them that learning is filled with reward and satisfaction. I taught them that learning opens doors that we never realized existed. I taught them that the more we learn, the dumber we realize we are. I taught my students because I was a student.

As a student, I learned to listen. I learned to think. I learned to ask a question. I learned to look beyond a set of facts. I learned to process information. I learned to find connections. I learned to link these connections. I learned to the difference between fact and theory. I learned the importance of tolerance. I learned that there are far more questions than answers. I learned that life is filled with mystery. I learned that everyone has something important to offer and the truly learner listens.

So how can you teach as a student? You share all you have learn. You develop experiences for your students to share in your learning. You infect them with your love of learning. You learn from them as they learn from you. You help them grow into happy learners. You share with them. As they learn you learn. As you learn to share with your students you are teaching!

The classroom is a stage. The actors that fill that stage are the students. The teacher is a director, writer and leading actor. As a writer, you create the setting, plot and theme of the play. As director you design and conductor the actors into the performance to complete the plot. As leading actor, you are one of them, a student. The other actors respond better to one of there own. It is your role as the star student to lead all your fellow actors through the play of learning. Who could possible be a better choice to teach learner than the student learner?

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