3 Learning and Teaching Go Hand in Hand

Learning and teaching go hand in hand – it is through learning that I realized the value of teaching, and through teaching I realized the value of learning.

I have always been a student who loved to learn, but this love could not be what it is now without my experiences. There are ups and downs – days where I thought what I am learning is pointless, and days where I thought it actually benefited me.

But as I look back each year at what I have learned, I notice that all the classes – pointless or not – gave me knowledge that would shape who I am now.

Each aspect of every type of lesson improved me in some way. I started to be more open, and truly think outside the box about things I never would have thought about. From that difficult Math class, to the endless essays, and that random Philosophy class I took in high school – it all contributed to greater processes happening in my mind. Studying Biology over and over again has improved my memory and studying speed drastically. It doesn’t matter if we’re never going to use this in real life because its value is not only in gaining information, but in allowing us to process things faster, more thoroughly, and from many different perspectives.

Then I thought, how could I have even gotten to this point?

That would be teaching. Without teachers, I would not have gotten this far. I began to understand how valuable teachers really are – with their methods, knowledge, and effort they put in each day to teach us something new.

I started to tutor as early as I can remember without realizing it. I have helped my classmates with school-work countless times, until I finally reached my second year of Nursing BScN and made it official as a part-time nursing tutor.

Even now, I would not have had this opportunity without the help of my professors. I look up to my teachers and appreciate the work they do, and I hope to do the same with my students. I truly care about their success and I strive to be the best teacher I can be.

I hope to have the opportunity to work in nursing education for the rest of my life. I appreciate every teacher I have had the honour to learn from – you have made me what I am today. So let’s appreciate learning and teaching. Thank you.

Batoul Al-Outa is a 2nd year BScN – Collabrative Nursing student at St. Clair College and began tutoring in the Nursing Lab in September 2018. In the future, Al-Outa plans to pursue a Masters in Nursing and to become a Nurse Educator and Researcher.

Photo credits: Photo by Nikita Kachanovsky on Unsplash

From the OE 9x9x25 Inspiration Gallery:

It doesn’t matter if we’re never going to use this in real life because its value is not only in gaining information, but in allowing us to process things faster, more thoroughly, and from many different perspectives. ~ Batoul Al-Outa