“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”
Japanese proverb
I took a surfing lesson for the second time a few days ago. My first time was in Texas with a guy who looked like Santa Claus who’d been put on the beach, covered in Crisco, and left to bake for five years. This time was with a thirty-year-old guy with dreads and the brightest of blue eyes. I’d always wanted to try surfing, and I couldn’t wait to get on the water that first time. Two hours of surfing lesson in Texas and I dropped their board on the sand, thinking it wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it would be, and I probably wouldn’t bother having any more lessons.
I don’t suppose it helped that I had a broken foot and was in some pain by the end of the session, but that wasn’t the problem, and I didn’t realise what the problem was until five minutes into my first lesson with Guy. We’d come down to Westward Ho! for me to have more kitesurfing lessons, but the wind disappeared offshore for the week, leaving us with no reason to be all the way down there. So, we went to chat to the people who owned the local surf and kitesurfing shop to talk about kites, harnesses, and boards. I wanted to get the kit as a commitment to learning the sport even if I couldn’t have more lessons that week.
Anyhoo, to cut a long story short (we were in there for three hours over two visits), we met Guy, and I figured I should give surfing another go. I had a spanking new wetsuit to try out (see Brey’s TikTok video for my super cool wetsuit dance), and I wanted to see if it was as toasty as it was supposed to be in fourteen degree water.
Not even five minutes into my lesson with Guy, I realised why I hadn’t been enamoured with surfing back in Texas, even with its glorious waves, clear blue sea, and bath water temperature. The teacher. Guy’s approach, enthusiasm, empathy, knowledge, teaching method, and all-round wonderful energy make him the perfect teacher.
What’s the point of me telling you this? Find the teacher who will inspire you and don’t be held back by those who have lost their lustre and become jaded. Find the teacher who shares your passion. Don’t be demotivated by someone who should’ve stopped teaching years ago. Find the teacher you can grow and learn with in the way that fits you and your learning preferences.
Brey and I love teaching, sharing our passion for this wonderful craft of writing, and helping others reach for the dreams they’ve long held. Last Tuesday, Brey (aka Victoria) ran a short NaNoWriMo prep course, and the attending writers seemed to love it. Maybe you will too, so we’ve made it into a mini-buy session. You can hop on over to our Global Wordsmiths website and watch it here for just ten quid 🙂 New author Sue Still attended the course live and rated it five stars, saying, “I found the course an invaluable resource and would highly recommend it and Global Wordsmiths, who I shall definitely be using the services of in the future.”
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