Gauri's Blog: Teaching and Beyond

My observations as an educator inside and out of the classroom

My journey in academics began early. Graphic design and communication design allowed me to carve a learning path for my students to have their “light bulb moments”. Systems design has always been exciting to practice and translated well into the classroom. A recent tally of my roster accounts about 26k teaching hours in a college classroom. And that does not include the countless hours of curriculum design, career fairs, portfolio nights, reviews, and extra help sessions; in person, on the phone, or by email. This journey of interacting with individuals from all walks of life and from all over the world has been fulfilling to say the least.

5 years ago, I launched my passion project, the Indian Culture Box. My team and I conduct workshops rooted in cultural traditions. This enterprise is a combination of my belief in the value of cross-cultural communication, love of design curation, and passion for education. Through this venture, I have taught 50+ workshops (200+ hours) across elementary and middle schools, libraries and internationally renowned museums. I have given demonstrations inside galleries, on the streets, in a courtyard, in the wild, on-stage, and in a parking lot. At one event, we had a fire department for support because it involved participants lighting their artwork on fire. The ability to shape a learning experience and a growing moment is all the jam.
As part of living the immigrant life, remote tech support for various senior family members is a given. This teaching career has spanned across 24 years, various technologies, and working remotely before remote work was a socially accepted concept. I can’t even begin to calculate all those hours.
Having raised two children with my husband, I’ve taught an average age range between 0-80. The material has varied from teaching what it means to be a good friend, to creating an award winning innovation product idea. Or from developing a social media strategy to teaching a 5 yo how to drape a 5-yard saree. Each experience special and challenging in its own way.

Here are some observations from inside and outside the classroom. You can call them the 15 qualities for effectively leading teams:

1. Empathy — People are people and they respond to empathy and patience. Being persistent with kindness until they understand the concept, helps.
2. Deep knowledge of your subject — Knowing what you say and a grasp on your material is important to gain trust.
3. Enthusiasm — When you are excited about teaching, it influences the quality and speed of learning.
4. Open-mind — Always connect with your audience. Understanding them and meeting them where they are coming from is a good starting point.
5. Good listening — Listening is where the magic lies. This allows you to understand the person you will be teaching so you can modify how you present the material.
6. Flexibility— Every person learns differently and no two people can be effectively taught the same way. Sometimes major and sometimes minor modifications are necessary.
7. Blue sky thinking — When you push the envelope and experiment with material, outcome and goals, your team often follows suit in the results they produce.
8. Dialog over monologue— Including your students in the conversation about the material from the get-go allows you to become a part of their journey. One way communication rarely works.
9. Activities help — Moving your team out of their routine, whether it is space, medium or format, moves the energy of the room which you can then direct the way you want. My class often goes outdoors to get the creativity flowing.
10. Honesty — Sharing where you come from and the journey you went through provides hope, trust and the confidence to make mistakes - some of the best work is created from honesty and vulnerability.
11. Curiosity — Acknowledging each persons lived experience and being curious about something they know that you don’t, creates confidence and lends a voice to self-doubting creative minds.
12. Healthy competition — Games in the environment amongst teams creates healthy competition and produces good work. It also produces positive and respectful creative individuals.
13. Inclusivity — Creating a structure which allows a diverse set of voices and mental models brings in fresh energy.
14. Stay current — Discussions of world affairs, local politics, favorite TV shows or the MET gala fashion highlights makes for an interactive team environment.
15. Being present — Enjoy being there in the moment with your team and they will too.

When a student from 12 years ago who lives half way across the world calls me to catch up and wants to share photos of her babies and tell me all about her business, it is very touching.
While the work of an educator can be all consuming and often unrecognized, it comes with a large amount of value addition to your personal life. It allows you to experience the world through younger eyes and gives you the opportunity to create a legacy. I would highly recommend working professionals to enter the classroom. It allows you to gauge your expertise and bring your rich experience to the younger generation.

For me, teaching has primarily meant long lasting relationships, refining management skills, a lot of personal growth and a sense of connectedness and community. For this I am grateful.