For some who choose the profession of teaching, their craft is the child of a special calling. Teaching for them is not a simple process that transfers knowledge and skills from books and activities onto the mind of a student. Instead, the knowledge passed on through books and other resources is woven with the teacher’s unique personal experiences into lessons that are fun, meaningful, and useful for their students. This is what I have come to understand based on many years spent as a technical certification instructor, public high school teacher, online English teacher, life skills presenter, and most recently SCUBA instructor. It doesn’t matter where, or what subject matter you teach others. It’s the reason why you teach and how you interact with your students which defines the kind of teacher you are.
For some, teaching is chosen as a career and the reason why some teach is to make a living. And there is nothing wrong with that, especially if you enjoy the interaction between with your students. A professional educator knows that teaching or leading is not about yelling or trying to impress your students with your amazing qualifications and skills, but rather about helping your students gain useful knowledge and skills, while building self-confidence and creating an atmosphere where students feel that they matter. Those who accomplish the latter are known to “teach from the heart.” That’s when learning happens at its very best. That’s the kind of teacher many of us want to be.
Through the years I have met and heard of teachers who knew their subject matter extremely well but who treated their students as if they were beneath them and unimportant. These teachers missed out on the opportunity to remember what life looked and felt like when they were young, to observe the awe on a student’s face when they “get it”, and to allow a contagion of youth to flow through their souls. This reciprocal effect makes the whole learning experience inspirational for both teacher and student. Even at my age, my students still help me remember what life looked and felt like when I was young.
A few weeks ago, I read a popular phrase on the LifeWaters.org website that encapsulates this learning experience I am writing about. The phrase says, “It takes a village”. This clearly describes how teaching is done. Teaching is not just about teachers and students in a classroom. There is usually a schoolhouse (brick and mortar or virtual) where we find administrators, career counselors, administrative staff, bus drivers and many more roles in support of teachers and students. Similarly, in our SCUBA industry we have certification agencies, dive shop owners and staff, boat captains, crew members, and other individuals which work together to offer training for those who are interested in a SCUBA certification. And most important, there are students of varying ages and backgrounds who, for a great variety of reasons, want to experience SCUBA.
In September 2021, I had the honor of certifying Caitlin Maitre as an SDI/TDI Open Water SCUBA Diver. Caitlin wants to build her SCUBA skills so she can help disabled individuals experience SCUBA diving. Her husband Alex Maitre also participated in the class. Alex is already certified as an Open Water diver so for him, this was a skills review and an opportunity for additional practical experience, particularly about how to assist a disabled individual in the water. Alex works for the Miami Veterans Administration helping disabled veterans at VA facilities and volunteers in events organized by LifeWaters.org. You can see why I think this was a very special training session for me in helping a bright and good-hearted couple like this. I am very thankful to Caitlin and Alex for sharing their hearts’ vision and purpose in a way that inspired me – they made our short experience together as one I will always remember as “teaching SCUBA from the heart”.
Finally, it does take a village and there are many others who helped make this possible. There was LifeWaters.org of course, and this time there was my friend Peter Friedman who generously provided use of Stuart SCUBA’s classroom, equipment, access to an amazing swimming pool, and a boat with Captain and crew so that Caitlin could experience two amazing boat dives. Peter’s administrative staff at the shop helped me a lot with all the paperwork and whatever we needed during academic training. Thank you, Peter, and thank your entire shop for helping me certify Caitlin as an SDI/TDI SCUBA diver.
With Love,
Uncle Ed