The 5 Most Important Things My Teachers Taught Me

I recently came across an old photo album from my childhood. The clothing and the hairstyles made me chuckle but what really stood out in my mind was all of the great advice that I learned from my teachers along the way. I always adored going to school and I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a teacher.  I did teach for 15 wonderful years. When I was blessed with my own children my life took its twists and turns and led me to being an entrepreneur.  I get such joy out of teaching, inspiring and helping others in SEVEN networking that I know this is exactly where I was meant to be at this stage in my life.

TEACHERS HAVE THE BEST ADVICE

I would like to share some of best advice that I received from teachers and how it has helped me in entrepreneurship:

1. GO FOR IT– In 6^th grade I had an idea for a science project that was quite in depth and would take numerous hours to complete. I was nervous about taking the plunge and doing it.  Verner my sixth grade teacher encouraged me to just do it!  I did and I won top honors at the district wide science fair.
2. DON’T GIVE EXCUSES– In 7^th grade social studies I had missed many classes dues to a very bad case of the flu during the winter. When I returned to school I had a huge amount of work to make up.  I remember Mr. Forliano saying –“Don’t make excuses.  You were out sick, now you are back in school and you need to get the work done.”  I buckled down, got rid of my excuses and made up the work in a short amount of time.
3. DON’T LET BAD DAYS STOP YOU– “When you are having a bad day just do the work and let the feelings take care of themselves.” This was great advice from Mrs. Greenhill because when you have a business it is always a roller coaster ride!! Some days are great, some not so good but just keep on plugging along.
4. SHOW UP EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T REALLY WANT TO– In 12^th grade I was taking AP Chemistry. Not really my forte and I didn’t understand most of what was being taught.  I really wanted to quit the class.  Snow encouraged us to show up and he assured us that in time we would understand the material.  Well guess what, he was right!!  In time I got a good grasp on the material. This really has helped me later in life- “Even when things are difficult, show up any way and you will eventually figure them out.”
5. REALLY LISTEN TO OTHERS– I had a 5^th grade teacher who commended me for really listening when she gave assignments. This has always resonated in my head when I suggest to other entrepreneurs spend more time listening to others instead of speaking.  We have two ears and only one mouth so we need to spend twice as much time listening to others.

Wow, this has been a trip down memory lane for me!  What great advice did you learn along the way that has helped to shape who you are today?