Overcoming That Fear Factor

I can remember when I first started to work with my students, I did have this inner fear or bit of insecurity, wondering if I would be able to answer their questions.  When I look back at those first days and months of teaching, I don’t know why I felt that way.  At that point, I had been a working MT almost nonstop for 24 years and had many experiences throughout that time (which hopefully you have been reading about prior to this post, and if not, head on back there, as it’s great stuff—wink, wink).  I think it comes down to all of us have quite a knowledge base that we are not aware of because we don’t tap into it, or it is just so automatic, you more or less take it for granted.  Looking at that a little further, that probably is true in all aspects of our lives.

I can tell you one thing I had to really dig into with instructing was punctuation and grammar.  I have always been pretty good at both, but it’s one of those things I never gave any thought to.  Knowing that the comma pair is needed with that interrupting phrase is one thing, but trying to explain that in an email or phone call is quite another.  You definitely just can’t say “it just is” or “because I said so,” although there were times that was tempting.  Of course, there was always this small group who would ask why, why, why, much like that little toddler who does that even after 10 explanations.  I’m not sure if they really were not understanding or just playing Stump the Teacher.

I would always expect to get the medical questions that would take a while to research and/or think about how to word my response to make it easy to understand. I loved those types of inquiries, because it always felt so good to come up with information that helped to make that light bulb go off for the student. Then there were those who would ask you a question that not even Dr. Michael DeBakey (world-renowned heart surgeon) could answer. It was those times I would try to reinforce the fact that the MT does not need to go into quite that much detail or have that type of minute understanding of medicine that physicians must have.  Still, the majority of questions over 13 years of teaching always seemed to go back to “but why is that comma there?”  I will tell you if you are reading this and thinking you need to know about that comma, get  a copy of the Gregg Reference Manual.   It has very easy-to-understand guidelines and samples and has been a big help to me on many occasions, not just for student questions, but even for my own curiosity. 

One thing I absolutely loved about my job was that we were always expanding and improving on the curriculum.  That is how I got into other projects beyond just instruction.  I created extra assignments for those students who were struggling—perhaps not really failing, but just had some weak areas, such as with proofreading, researching or critical thinking.  I also wrote some articles to add to the course for professional development. I love having variety in a job, so I was always volunteering for extra projects, plus again, it was very rewarding to add to the course of study beyond just the textbooks. 

In January of 2009, I was promoted to the instructor coordinator, which was a very exciting advancement for me.  I was still teaching, but now I would also help the other instructors with any particular issues that came along, such as a question about test keys, handling a difficult student, and also covering for them while they were on vacation.  I also continued on projects that would come up or maintaining and updating ongoing projects.  Considering I felt that MT instruction was something I could never do or at least do well, it turned out to be one of the best career decisions I ever made.  Perhaps having that fear factor is exactly what you do need to try something completely new and out of your comfort zone.  If that type of opportunity ever presents itself to you, whether it is teaching or just a new endeavor within your work situation, don’t pass it up.  You just might surprise yourself at what you can accomplish!

Along with my promotion came some surprises I was never expecting. Well, I guess that is why you call it a surprise, isn’t it.  I’ll get into that next time.  I hope all of you have a very safe and happy July 4th!  Take care.