One Student’s Happy Day

Day one of Bahama Mah Jongg. The beginners did a great job of learning the basics. They were a superior group, catching on to ever more difficult concepts throughout the class. A couple of students had already taken lessons and told me that they learned more in the first three hours of my class than they did with the multiple classes from someone else. Sometimes it helps to hear things more than once.

One student told me their teacher hovers over them going around picking their tiles for them. She loved that I made them pick their own tiles and learn to think for themselves. This has always been my mantra, “I will never pick your tiles for you. You pick them first and I will discuss it with you.” No one learns anything if you don’t pick your own tiles. I am in the business of teaching people how to think, not what to think.

So my afternoon class was a giant group of Beyond Beginners. So many returning friends makes teaching this class pure joy. I love to see how much people have improved. We also had a group of newbies. Poor things get thrown right into the fire with me with no idea of what it is going to be like.

So as we are working on a hand, one opponent made two exposures. I asked the class what hand the opponent was playing. We identified one and I pointed out that in that case their hand was dead. Then Debbie from Nebraska brought up a different hand I had not considered. She was right. That was the hand the opponent was playing! Debbie had pointed out something I had not noticed! It was a beat the teacher moment for her. She rightfully was quite proud!

I love when that happens. Nothing makes my students any happier than teaching me something and I love it. No one person knows or is right about everything all the time. Gold star day for Debbie.