For virtually my entire educational career, I was a B student.
In less than two weeks, I will begin teaching a course at Drexel University.
So as you can imagine I’ve been thinking a lot about how to structure my course using methods that I hope mirror real world experiences.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that I, a lifetime B student, have been given the opportunity to educate others. I wondered if some of my teachers had been B students, or C students…some of them may have even done worse in school. But then I began to wonder if it even matters?
What I’ve learned is due in large part to the work I’ve done outside of school instead of the expensive curriculum of my undergraduate and graduate degrees. Most of what has helped me succeed in my business is the result of 5-10 books that I’ve read, several hundred blogs and podcasts that I’ve consumed, and all of the writing I’ve done. My sales experience isn’t a product of schooling, but rather real world lessons in persuasion, and books I chose to read about influence.
Education isn’t school. Education is what happens when someone decides to learn. Few teachers will be able to educate a closed mind, or one unwilling to learn.
For my course, I’m going to focus much less on being a teacher, and instead try to inspire my students to want to learn, and give them the tools to do so.