what I learned from some 2cd degree burns

Sunday night I burnt my fingers taking a pan out of the oven. It hurt, but thankfully it happened right before friends came over for dinner. Bless them! They tended to my wounds and my worrying. They finished the little bit of prep and served themselves and me. Then they gently teased me.

And me? I took some ibuprofen, drank a glass of wine and got really bummed about my Wednesday night bookbinding class. Really. Bummed. Sitting there with aching fingers I saw no way I could finish the class preparations and do sewing demonstrations. Postponing the class seemed to be the only choice, despite my friends giving me other options, like accepting help with the preparations, or re-evaluating my class structure, or (heaven forbid) just waiting to see how I felt in 24 hours.

Well, here am I typing very slowly to tell you that 48 hours later I think this will turn out to be a valuable teaching lesson. I've come face to face with my desire to show off my skills and realized that showing off skills isn't the same thing as teaching. Tomorrow isn't about me demonstrating what an excellent bookbinder I am. Tomorrow is about me allowing others to discover their own bookbinding awesomeness. The lovely Jenny Ryan will be my hands and I will shift my focus to supporting the students as they learn a new skill, instead of just showing them how to do it.

I wish it hadn't been such a painful lesson, but I think in the end it will make me an infinitely better teacher.

p.s. I already knew I had the most wonderful friends. EVER.