Terre Pruitt's Blog

I think I am very correct in saying that Group Exercise Instructors and Nia teachers love to hear students ask, “Where else do you teach?” and “What else do you teach?”  Isn’t that the greatest thing?  It is such a huge compliment.  The student is asking where else can they get more of you.  The student is asking in what other ways can they get more of you.  I had never thought of that as a compliment.  I had never even realized it was a compliment.  When I was asked that, I used to feel bad because I didn’t teach anything else other than Nia.  I also felt bad when I just taught at one place.  I was always so focused on not being able to meet their additional needs I didn’t “hear” the compliment.  I didn’t hear the un-spoken, “You met my need here.”  Last year, I actually was in a required continued education class instructed by the YMCA when the teacher mentioned that if a student asks you those questions it is a compliment.  Ha.  Silly I had never thought of it as a compliment.  I was focused on something else entirely.  It strikes me as funny when I go into a situation to learn one thing and something totally different is taught to me.  I was taught to see it as a compliment.

Nowadays, I am not so focused on not being able to meet their need for an additional class or another venue, because I am teaching six classes at four different places.  Although people still would like an evening Nia class.  This schedule can change at anytime, but for now, at least, I feel more varied.

Do you ever go into a situation expecting to learn one thing and come out surprised at what you learned?  I like when I can learn what I was expecting AND something I wasn’t expecting.  That always makes me feel happy.  I feel like I got a bingo or hit the lotto.  A two-for-one kind of thing.  A real deal.  Something completely worth my time.  Ya know?

Do you ever miss a compliment?  Are you ever so focused on something else you don’t even realize the person talking to you / asking a question is really in a sense giving you a compliment?  Sometimes it is kind of nice because later on it might hit you and bring a smile to your face, but then I feel bad I didn’t take the opportunity to show gratitude.  But sometimes that happens.

For a second I thought of listening with love, but I don’t think this is the same as that.  But perhaps.  Maybe if I had been listening with love instead of feeling bad I could help I would have noticed it was a compliment.  But then I would have been so excited about the class I had to take.  I wouldn’t have gotten that “extra” bang for my buck.  Ha, ha!

This same type of compliment would be said to a performer, “Where else do you perform?”  “What else have you performed in?”  Yeah, that is a compliment all right.

So how about it?  Have you ever experienced any unexpected learning?  Have you ever totally “missed” that someone was complimenting you?  What other situations would that type of comment fit?