The Incredible Benefits of Learning Continuation

Curiouser and curiouser...

I stand very firmly behind the notion that the day you stop learning, is the day you stop living.  As a dance teacher, one gains an incredible amount of knowledge not only from the experience of explaining and demonstrating concepts, but also directly from the mouths and movements of the students you teach.  As the French moralist Joseph Joubert put it: "To teach is to learn twice."  Teaching anything full-time, however fulfilling, can often leave you with little time to pursue your own learning and improvement outside your own classroom.

  

This past week I was fortunate to break that cycle of "blah" for myself and I must admit that I am still riding the wave of elation brought on by pedagogical stimulation that ensued.  I was able to immerse myself in three days of study last week with the same visiting instructor--a dancer whom I respect and who is relentless in challenging me to be a better dancer.  For me, this was a huge treat--I can't explain why, but I felt as though I was getting away with something by being a student--it was a most glorious and liberating experience--learning in it's most exquisite form.

  

It can be so easy to find yourself in a class situation that doesn't inspire you--and equally easy to not put out the effort to look for such situations.  When you find one that does, I strongly encourage you to allow yourself to gorge yourself on the experience.  You will not regret it--for such an experience has the ability to make everything else seem a little more pleasant, as is usually the case when you feel enlightened, revived, and fulfilled.

Happy learning to you all!