Why Everyone Should Teach

Education is the key to success and one of the essentials to build a creative community. No one can deny the importance of education (Do we really hate education?).
After reading the title you may wonder “If everyone is a teacher, who will do the other work?” but that’s not what I meant.
Being a teacher doesn’t mean to be only a teacher, but more of a side thing, a community service you could say. So you can do your own work or have your business running and in your spare time teach others. What will you teach? Why? and Where? That’s what I will be pointing out in this article.

I’m not a teacher

Yes, most of us are not academically qualified as teachers because we don’t have a Bachelor of Education or other related degrees. I’m not talking about this kind of traditional education. The problem with that system is that not all teachers are passionate about what they teach. Students won’t pick the information due to the lack of energy and creativity from their teachers’ side. I want everyone to become a teacher in their field of passion.

Teaching what you love, even if you’re not as an expert as a Bachelor’s Degree holder who isn’t passionate, you still going to teach better as long as you love what you do. I believe that your knowledge is never too little to teach, nor too much to learn. Even if you think you just know a little, there’s someone out there who needs that information that you think isn’t important. It takes more than experience and degrees, it needs both passion and patience.

What to Teach?

I don’t think that there’s anyone out there who has no passion. They might not know it, but it is there. Just think of the things that you enjoy doing, that includes playing games. I want you to list at least three things that you enjoy doing, or you don’t feel overwhelmed when you’re doing them. Sometimes we do certain activities without feeling the time, it suddenly passes like a flash. Technically, it passed fast because we’re enjoying our time doing these activities.

After you listed down the things you enjoy doing, start thinking how could you teach these things. No matter how silly you think of them. Academic system, made us think that other subjects than science and literature are not worthy of being taught in schools. Look how many e-sports players out there making a living out of playing, and others by coaching other players. As long as you love something, you can teach it to others. So what will you teach? You only can answer that, by picking your field of interest and start sharing your knowledge. Again, do not ever underestimate the information you have. There are always people who have 0% knowledge of that field.

Why Should I?

Teaching others will benefit both of you, the teacher and the student. There are many good reasons to teach and share with others.
So, let’s talk about the benefits for the receivers or students first.

Imagine if all of our teachers were passionate about their area of study, and they are actually working in that field. Don’t you think they would teach and explain with real-world examples and they would be creative in teaching? not only because they have enough knowledge, but because they practice it!
It is different to get info from people who “know” it, and people who love it and experienced it. In other words, passionate teachers will always find creative ways to deliver the information no matter the medium. When students see their teachers energized while teaching, they would get inspired and be all ears and willing to receive that knowledge.

So, what is it for you, as a teacher? Away from the good deeds and improving the community, there are plenty of benefits for you. First thing, as the French essayist/writer, Joseph Joubert, said: “To teach, is to learn twice”. When you teach others, the information sticks longer and you tend to understand it more (Check my YouTube channel for Game Dev tutorials). The more they ask you, the more knowledgable you get. One more benefit, sometimes we have passions but we cannot pursue them due to some circumstances that led us to choose different paths. Teaching others will sharpen that skill and not leaving it to dust. After some time, you might build a reputation or seek opportunities that teaching connected you with, and you will have a smooth transition towards your desired path to pursue your dreams.

Where Can I Teach?

For all of us who are first-time teachers, we cannot go to academic faculties to teach (which is better). For them, we have no experience in teaching, so where can we start teaching? You don’t have to teach in school, college or University. I don’t even suggest that. They will limit and restrict you to follow their rules with minimum credit hours, which will lose the whole idea of teaching with passion. When you teach, do it your own way, be creative.

You can always teach your family, close friends and colleagues. This is maybe the easiest and fastest way to find students to teach. But only if they’re interested in what you teach. If not, it’s alright, there are more mediums to teach through. Online tools have never been more accessible than ever. You can either create a Facebook group or join one in your field, and start discussing with others. Or maybe go online on Twitter and Instagram and start looking for people asking questions related to your passion and start answering them.

If you think you have some ideas you want to share (which is preferable), you can either start writing blogs and articles on your own blog or other blogging platforms such as Medium.com where you can just sign up and start writing and sharing your views. In case you’re not so good with writing or you have more energy to talk whether showing your face or only slides/screen recording, then you can create video tips or courses. For video formatted courses, you can start your YouTube channel and share your videos there. You can sell your courses on Udemy, Skillshare, and other courses platforms (but do it with passion).

Final Thoughts

With all the advancement of technology, we need more passionate people like you to use that access to the technology to change the way education works. If everyone isn’t teaching because it is just a job but rather as a passion or a hobby, the upcoming generations will be thankful to us and will be brighter and more creative. I had many teachers who were passionate about their subjects, they taught us really well. Why? Because they love what they do. So I hope that everyone who likes something, to go out and teach it to others. Let’s improve education together.
Thank you so much for reading this article, good luck with your teaching journey!