How many times have I seen the abysmal and untimely victory that is, “AH HA! So THAT’S how ‘it’ works.. I’ve been screwing this up.” 

Cue the changes – in my behavior, in my processes and operating standards; the updates, the reprocessing under the new golden nugget of knowledge or awareness or context.  And, of course, then making up for what I didn’t know sooner. 

This happens every day day, and mostly I just keep making the little updates without even thinking of it. But … 

Sometimes, and in the crappiest moments of new awareness, I’m almost required to humbly approach at least one fellow human and say something along the lines of, “whelp – I goofed. I have figured out that I could have INDEED done something different if I’d known what I know now, and can you help me unscrew myself?”

The amazing thing is that in every moment I expect and very much understand their judgement and criticism, even an eye-roll… the teachers never do!  They just keep doling out information — like FREE!  Help, guidance, perspective, help updating or making changes to institute a new plan. Without even blinking an eye.

THERE ARE TEACHERS FOR ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW!!  They’re in schools and institutions, of course, but I am honored to know so many more. They’re good at what they’re good at, their perspective and subject expertise is robust, and they’re willing to help me be as good as I can be too.  

And they aren’t ever cruel or mean. In fact I’d say the defining feature of an educator is being able to help the kid who thinks backwards but is aware and trying hard to compensate. They let me ask anything and they deliver an answer relative to the learner’s needs, not what they think I SHOULD know. 

Dr. Menciotti didn’t laugh when I asked what a stenosis FEEEEELS like; but he also found no offense in the follow up firing round of reprocessing questions related to the answer about the stenosis and emerging curiosity regarding a sticky valve and the impending balloon.  He could just see I was on a tiny little journey of making sense of a concept and he caught me right up. Even though technically I didn’t deserve a lesson so in-depth about cardiac abnormalities, he gave me one.  

In any case of an upgrade at an information deficit, the best thing is finding that I didn’t understand because then I know how to fix it. The worst is not having a teacher  – official or unofficial; titled or not. Bridges, I call them, to the answers. 

Tell a teacher you know better now and see if they blame you for learning. ❤️