Education / what it is and how is viewed.
With this past week celebrating Teachers week.
I have some words from my own reflection.
This year marks my twelfth year in education as a chef instructor, and as of January 8th ’15 a Culinary Arts Professor ranked by The Culinary Institute of America.
I had the opportunity to teach in two different culinary schools, and speak and present in several others, as well as several other places and countries. During these years I had the pleasure to observe, learn and work with amazing chefs, instructors and teachers, some of these people truly on the top of their game. With all these experiences helped me became a better chef and instructor, and helped me to continue to learning and becoming a better and more effective chef instructor, teacher and now culinary arts professor.
And all of these special individuals have shown me a very clear philosophy that I adopted and try to always keep in mind.
To teach: Passing and sharing of knowledge, experiences and information, about inspiring and connecting with the students in a very honest, human and helpful way.
We all should understand clearly that the best way to evaluate ourselves as instructors is to look at the students and see how they have grown, learn and collected the tools and the understanding to succeed.
Teaching should never be about the diploma, but about the educational journey, the student’s personal growth, the inspiration and the aspect of to continue to improve and to learn together. Teaching is truly a two way street “we get plenty from the students and they get plenty from us”.
Of course the last twelve years hasn’t been all roses, I encounter plenty people doing the “teaching” for the wrong reasons, and even some occasions and places more concern about diplomas than the teaching, than the journey, the process and the growth associate with learning and teaching. When some teachers continue to grow and to learn and to improve themselves so they continue to be effective as teachers, some just choose to take the easy way out. As I have said many times over and over through my culinary career. “is never and should never be all about be chef, it should be and always is about the crew” chef as leaders and as teacher, the result is a well-trained, prepared, conscientious and effective crew that focused on service and on quality. Those are our Students.
In recent years I had the amazing pleasure and the experience of working with a group of amazing teachers, chefs, professors and researchers, with a truly clear way to deliver teaching, inspire students and future chefs, and I am grateful and honored. For all the good ones I salute you!
So happy Teachers/Chef Instructor day every day.
