My First Day Teaching
By Jorge Cruz, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
www.salsafix.net

As the day drew closer, my level of excitement increased. Plans had to be made, and fast. Thinking of what to say, how to say it, and when to say it became my daily routine. “Ok. I will start by saying this and that… Then, I will point out this and that…”

At last, I was there. Twenty-two pairs of ears listening to what I had to say. Twenty-two pairs of eyes following every move I made. My heart was pumping out of my chest. “Why doesn’t this feeling in the pit of my stomach just go away???,” I thought. Any speech previously prepared suddenly disappeared, forgotten.

Sounds like a scene of an amateur pre-school teacher, doesn’t it? No. It is not. This was my first day as a Salsa instructor.

“Never let ‘em see you sweat”, they say. Well, I was sweating… and profusely… However, I needed to remind myself why I was there. Plain and simple, I was there to TEACH. I was there to SERVE others. As my focus shifted from fear to a desire of sharing my knowledge, my nervousness started to fade. The speech I had prepared was again clear in my mind. We went through our “1-2-3, 5-6-7’s” with ease. I was on a roll, enjoying every second as twenty-two smiling faces looked back at me.

Finally, it was over. I made it through my first class as an instructor. A great feeling of accomplishment and pride came as everyone thanked me and told me how much they enjoyed the class. I went back home, thinking of what had just transpired.

In retrospect, the most valuable lesson I learned that day was our responsibility to serve others. The infallible law of sowing and reaping worked once more. That wonderful feeling of accomplishment I reaped was the direct result of pouring my whole passion and enthusiasm onto others with this thing called Salsa.

And that was just my first class…….

I sincerely hope this article will spark the flame of enthusiasm of those who have, at some point, thought about teaching the subject they love. My gratitude goes out to those instructors who have been my teachers, and to those who have somehow helped me with this venture. Thank you!!!

- Jorge Cruz
  SalsaFix

Jorge can be reached at 954-579-4856
www.salsafix.net