The Joy of Teaching
By Christina Katz
One
of the greatest joys in my life over the past eight years has been
teaching writers. For me, teaching and writing are inextricably
connected and they are both organic, creative processes that can't be
and shouldn't be rushed.
What I have done as a teacher is
simple: I've learned for myself and then taught what I've learned to
others. Sure, I've offered options and expanded on my own limited
ideas. But ultimately, all I've done is try and share my success with
others in an orderly, structured way.
I am not special. Anyone
can do this. In fact, I teach others how to write about what they know
in my writing classes. And now, beginning May 6th, I'll be teaching
writers how to share what they've learned as teachers. I love that we
are becoming a society of creators and I truly cannot wait to help
writers expand their professionalism through teaching.
The
combination of the writing and teaching have essentially given me the
career that I enjoy today, which is the same career I have been
enjoying steadily for the past eight years. Here are a few ways to
identify a body of material you might teach on:
Just Got the Hang of It: Often
the best teachers don't have the most years of experience in the topic
they teach. Maybe this is because after a while anyone can become bored
of just about any topic. So don't go that way. Choose something fresh
for you instead. And then dive into your experience as a source of
teaching material.
Muscle Memory: What
do you know how to do so well that's it's become habitual? You might
take this topic for granted but don't underestimate how your mastery
can be tapped for teaching material.
Be Specific: You
want your teaching topic to be specific enough to make the most of your
unique expertise without being so specific that your class becomes
esoteric to the masses. Think this is an easy balance? Nah. You might
find that you find your niche as you teach. So give your topic your
best guess and then get started. You'll learn as you go.
Or Generalize: If
you already have very specific experience or expertise, you might find
that it makes more sense to generalize it to appeal to the audience
right in front of you. Consider whether your audience is international
(this will lead to a more specific teaching topic) or more localized
(this will lead to a more generalized topic) so as to appeal to the
people who will show up.
When Stumped, Just Ask: With
years of teaching and writing under my belt, I have gotten pretty good
at identifying what topics are of interest to my audiences, writers and
writer mamas. However, at the outset you will benefit from working with
someone who has the experience that can help you make important
decisions about what to include and what not to include in your
classes. Feel free to check out my upcoming class, Turn Your Specialty Into Course Curriculum.
Teaching
offers something that writing will never be able to offer. Teaching
offers an alchemical process among a group of people in real time. I
love the context of my teaching experience as much as I enjoy
developing curriculum.
If you are going to take the time and
energy to teach, make it a process that grows your mind as much as it
grows your students' minds. And you will always prosper.
Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Build an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
(both for Writer's Digest Books). A platform development coach and
consultant, she teaches writing career development, hosts the Northwest Author Series, and is the publisher of several e-zines including Writers on the Rise. Christina blogs at The Writer Mama Riffs and Get Known Before the Book Deal, and speaks at MFA programs, literary events, and conferences around the country.
Comments