This Is How My Teachers Helped Me Beyond the Classroom

For a very long time during my years in school, I used to get annoyed every time I listened to one of my teacher's stories about their lives, their careers, and their past. I used to think they were just flexing their achievements, and that just really annoyed me.  A feeling of boredom, annoyance, and like my life was being wasted lasted for a while before my professor’s stories started to actually get good —and way longer, for that matter,

While doing my master’s in mass communication and journalism, I found myself one day really paying close attention to one of my professor’s stories. She was telling us about how she was doing her Ph.D. and taking care of a newborn baby. That day, I didn't know what changed to make me enjoy her story. But now I know exactly why it grabbed my attention and how it was useful.

Here's How My Teachers Helped Me:

1. It enhances your empathy levels

Did you know that in a recent study, individuals who learned about other people's experiences were more likely to empathize with both this individual and the group that they represented? Participants in the study expressed greater warm and empathetic feelings and a desire to learn more about that storyteller after listening to them.

2. Gives you purpose and insight

A sense of purpose in our communities can be strengthened through the sharing of stories. One of the most effective means of conveying a more ambitious goal is through the use of stories. Hearing each other's experiences and stories may be a moving and insightful experience because it gives you a sense of what it could be or what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.

3. Might inspire some action 

Sometimes, stories guide us to take some actions that we never thought about; they can also inspire us to make certain decisions that never crossed our minds. For example, have you ever felt inspired to take a career step or decision, even if it's small, after listening to someone speak about their career? This can happen when you listen to your teacher’s stories. Being a teacher is a really cool thing, and teaching, in general, is a super inspiring, prestigious, and amazing career path. So, your teacher’s story about how they got into the teaching world can inspire you, too! 

Sharing human experiences with one another is one of the best experiences that one can ever experience. As they say, sharing is caring; if your teacher decides to share with you their stories, that means that they care about you and trust you with their stories. 

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