Today was a busy day and I have little time to meet my blog-a-day challenge goal (FollowTheArrows for a great 30-day blogging challenge) because I just spent two hours guest-teaching a class on Grammar at Aletheia Christian College.
I also signed up to be a part time mentor at SCORE Charlotte, an organization that offers free mentoring to small business owners.
Why do I do so much teaching when marketing is my business?
I teach because:
- I learn more about my trade by teaching than by any other activity: marketers are trying to get an audience to take an action, a teacher is trying to get an audience to change their thinking. Teaching is a more rigorous task.
- Teaching is one of the best ways to give back to the community. I love helping students learn something new and apply it to their life. Whether it is a homeschool mom teaching her kids grammar or a young Sudanese man starting a business, teaching is such a rich activity.
- I learn from my students. I taught a business class in Cairo, Egypt to refugees from all over Africa and parts of Asia. Their courage and resilience encouraged and taught me more than I think I taught them. It’s often that way in teaching.
- Teaching is addictive. It really is.
So, as a marketer, I budget time to teach, making certain to get the work done in the between times for myself and my clients. And sometimes that means working till midnight or later even though my alarm clock is set for 6:45.
It’s worth it.
Do you teach? Why or why not?