Because of course, teachers don't know everything.
*cue shocked gasps*
I know, I know - teachers literally teach other people things - but they do not, in fact, know everything. And, I think you would find that if you asked a teacher, they would be the first to admit that.
They might even admit that sometimes, they are the ones learning... from their students.
Yes, you learn from teaching. You actually learn more from teaching than anything else.
Why? Because when you're teaching something, you have to, first of all, know it well enough to be able to teach and communicate it well. To be able to teach a subject and help other people learn from what you're saying you have to have a more deep and well-rounded knowledge of the subject.
Rather than if you were just there to let a professor pour wisdom into you, you actually have to go through the work of being able to give wisdom to others.
And second of all, you have to care enough about the subject to actually want to teach it in the first place. Most people won't teach about something that they hate or aren't interested in - so teaching a subject comes with the given that you at least care a little bit about it.
When you care a little bit about something, and then care about the people that you are trying to teach that subject to, you're going to learn a whole lot more about it than if you were just listening to a lecture.
A Quick Side Tangent
Some really quick exciting news before we get into the meat of learning from teaching, I have launched Firefly Designs!!!
I can not thank you enough for all of your wonderful support and encouragement and feedback - I know people say this a lot but I literally could not have done this without you all.
And, as a thank you and an early Black Friday deal (because who doesn't LOVE Black Friday?!!) I'm offering a huge discount to the first five people who contact me!
So, if you're interested in any kind of graphic design - from a logo to a new website to a book cover or book merch (or more!) - email me at lilliannajk@gmail.com to save your spot!
And now, back to the post!
What I Have Been Learning
Recently I have been teaching my two younger brothers and their two friends an IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) Narnia course.
If I could teach anything, this course would be at the very top of the list one, because I adore the combination of Narnia and writing, and two, because I did this when I was in sixth grade and remember all the assignments and the nostalgia is just agh *chef kiss* I love it so much.
And I have been learning so so much - definitely more than what I learned when I actually took the class!
It Is Hard To Communicate Concisely
Very hard! And probably one of the more difficult things an author has to conquer. For an author to brave tackling putting their entire, cried-over and laughed-over story into a three-page summary it takes... a lot of dedication and skill.
And it's very hard.
I myself tend to be quite long-winded (if you haven't noticed lol) and tackling a summary like that was daunting, but, as I keep trying to show these boys, necessary.
As they have been tasked with writing a five-line keyword outline from a fifteen-line paragraph, fusing multiple outlines into a single paragraph, or given the assignment to only use three keywords per line in their outline, they have worked on the skill of writing concisely. And, learned to focus on what's important, which leads me to my next point.
Only Focus On What's Important
In writing keyword outlines or research papers or fused outlines or character studies, we have to focus only on what is important.
In living life and loving others and loving our Savior, we have to focus only on the One who saves and the King who cares. We have to remember that our worlds revolve around Him, not us.
It's so so easy to forget what's really important and lose sight of the end - lose sight of our final hope. Just like it's so easy for the boys to focus on pieces that don't relate to the big picture, we can often find ourselves stuck in one tiny moment or experience or lie, and completely forget Who is in control and why we are doing what we're doing in the first place.
And for the boys this is hard. It's very hard to write concisely and focus only on what's important. But, it can be done.
Even When It's Hard, We Have Someone Walking Beside Us
No matter if it's school that's hard, or work or family or faith - we have been promised that life is going to be hard!
In John 16:33 Jesus explicitly says "in this world you will have trouble." And James says, "do not be surprised by the fiery trial."
It's pretty clear that as Christians nothing is ever going to be easy. And for my students, it has become very clear that it is not going to be easy!
But that doesn't mean we can't do it.
Just because something is hard does not mean it's impossible.
And as the boys have done what's hard and learned from that, I have learned that we can do a lot more than our minds think we can. We can work harder and accomplish more than we think.
But only when we rely on Jesus. Only when we are finding our strength in our Savior. Only when we realize that everything we do is for His glory, which leads me to my next and final point.
Plans Are Not Set In Stone
At least, our plans are not set in stone. God's plans are, because they are perfect, complete, everlasting plans encompassing the whole scope and sequence of the universe.
But our plans... our plans are mere fragments. What we think we know is far less than the tip of the iceberg. And as I have made lesson plans and planned out this school year for both myself and my students, I've had to realize really quickly that I am not in control.
God is. And I need to be able to trust Him with that - I mean seriously, when I think about it, why would I trust my finite, sinful, not all-knowing self over a perfect, holy, and omniscient God?
We need to be willing to let go and let God. Let God take control and do what's best in our lives. Let God guide our footsteps and map out our journey.
When I started The Author Conservatory, I had all these plans of when I would be done drafting and outlining and all this stuff for my writing project, and I have had to let God teach me that I am not in control. My ways are not His ways - and His ways are much, much better.
As I've taught the boys and made plans with the lessons and scoped out the rest of our year, I have had to let God teach me that I'm not in control. My plans are not always going to be His plans, and I need to be ok with that.
I've also learned that His plans are so so much better - a million times better! Because He is perfect and He loves me and He cares about me and He is walking with me every step of the way.
So to all of you out there with your plans seemingly coming down around you, remember Who is truly in control. And remember that He loves you.
A Last Bit Of Encouragement
Because if I'm learning something, you definitely can be learning too.
First, it is very hard, especially for writers, to write concisely. It's hard to narrow down thousands of words into three pages. It's hard to sum up a million thoughts into a couple sentences.
But, it can be done. So to all of you writers out there shying away from concise, well-thought-out writing, just buckle up and do it. Hone your skill of simple writing with deep meanings. It's a powerful and very effective skill, as well as practical because if you want to be traditionally published, you're going to have to write a synopsis, whether you want to or not.
Second, let's all take a minute to remember Who our lives revolve around, and Who our focus should be on at all times. Because it's not ourselves, or our work, or our school - it's the Son who came and died for us. It's the One whose very glory is our sole purpose here on earth.
He's the only One that matters, the only One who will be with us into eternity, and we need to focus on Him.
Third, life is hard. But we have the King of the Universe by our side. We can't do it, but He most certainly can.
And fourth, our ways are not His ways - His plans and thoughts are far higher than ours. And we have to let go of our tiny little fragments and trust Him with the big pictures. We need to stop trying to fit God into our tiny little puzzle piece and let Him fit us into His beautiful masterpiece.
There is only One who matters, One whose life was given for ours, and we need to be doing everything for His glory alone. It's why we're here on earth. It's why we are alive and breathing.
And as we head into this holiday season with everyone chanting "the reason for the season" I think it's important that we remember why He is the reason - because He's the literal King of the entire universe.
And He loves you!
Loves you enough to come down and die for you and then promise you an eternity with Him in Heaven. If that's not a good God, I don't know what is.
If you can't find hope in a God who would let His Son die for unworthy sinners, what are you finding your hope in? Yourself? Because that's a pretty sorry comparison.
If you can't trust a God who literally spoke the universe into existence and still cares about you, what can you trust in?
And now to sum everything up, you can learn a whole lot when you just open up your eyes and let God teach you - whether He teaches you through teaching, or through school, or through trial, He is with you and He loves you and this holiday season He has not forgotten about you.
So let's open up our eyes and hearts to what God is teaching us, and maybe we'll then be able to give hope and encouragement... and teaching, to those around us.