Welcome to the Quiltblox 12 Days of Christmas! Each day through December 9th, I’ll share a word of the day that has meaning for me during this holiday season. Today’s word is: Teach.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
I chose this word because:
In one form or another, I’ve been a teacher for most of my adult life. I’ve taught in the college setting, in small business development centers, and in the workplace. And I’ve had the pleasure of teaching quilters, lots of quilters. It’s both an honor and a responsibility to be trusted to teach someone else to do something they want to know how to do.
To “Teach” begins with caring. It starts when someone says, I’ve learned something worth passing on. Teaching grows out of love for both the craft and the people who will carry it forward.
There’s magic in passing along what you’ve learned. Teaching connects us to our quilting roots—it keeps traditions alive and ensures the craft continues to bloom in new hands. Every time you teach, you’re part of a legacy that extends the art form that much further into the world.
Teaching what you know:
Do you have to be an expert quilter in order to teach? No. What’s important is that you are technically proficient in the task or technique you want to teach someone, and that you have a step-by-step plan for how to teach them.
New stitchers, don’t know what they don’t know. You could be the person who teaches them how to press instead of iron, master a 1/4 inch seam, or make a half-square triangle.
Do you have to create a formal class in order to teach? While sometimes that could be the route to take, a lot of teaching (and learning) comes in those moments working around the table with a group of friends. Helping a friend learn to do something they are struggling with might just take a couple of minutes, but it makes all the difference to them to be successful in learning to do something. It’s teaching. It’s learning. It matters.
Want to create new stitchers and change a child’s life? Teach them to stitch. Stitching is a life skill no longer taught in most schools. You can be the difference they need to learn to work with needle and thread, to plan out a project, to fail and try again, and to take pride in their work.
The best teachers, are learners first:
I thought it would be fun to share some quilty resources to help you think about teaching what you know, and continuing your own learning (more about that tomorrow ; )
Follow Along
Each day, I’ll be sharing a new word of the day in the newsletter and here on the blog. I’m also sharing some other fun goodies in the Holiday Edition of the Quiltblox Newsletter – each day through December 9th. Be sure to subscribe today so you see it first.