I remember my first day teaching like it was yesterday. Fresh out of college, I walked through the door of my high school senior Developmental Physics class (physics without numbers) just as the bell rang and took my place at the front of the room. There, right in front of me, sat the football team… in formation. Linemen in the first row. Receivers on the wings. Quarterback and running backs in the second and third rows, respectively. My heart started pounding. My mouth went dry.

For those who don’t know me, I am not a big man. I was terrified and filled with trepidation. Images of a classroom spiraling out of control flashed through my mind. I desperately wanted to succeed in my first job out of college, and I was terrified that it would dissolve into disaster in the very first class of the very first day.

The next few minutes turned out to be pivotal. I had to decide in a moment how I was going to approach the class. I am forever grateful that I decided on being firm (a bit of a hard-ass, to be sure), fair, and funny, in that order. In the end, that class ended up being one of my favorites of all the classes I have ever taught.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Teaching is one of the hardest things a person can do. It requires an incredible level of awareness of both yourself and your students. It requires an extraordinary amount of personal resilience and self-control. It also requires a powerful capacity to connect and act in the service of others, even when those others process and react to the world in ways profoundly different from you.

Maybe the only thing harder than teaching is teaching riding. Here’s to all the instructors out there who are in the arena every day, teaching a challenging skill while facing fears, calming nerves, fostering courage, and cultivating confidence and a love of both horses and the sport. We appreciate you and want to support you in any way we can. ~ Paul

PC – #eringilmorephotos

#mentalhealthawarenessmonth #horses #ridinginstructors #ridingfarllc #equestrian #equestrianlife  #equestriansportpsych #sportpsychology