I’m clearly not dressed as formally as
some of the other speakers here tonight
it’s a little bit awkward to be
backstage surrounded by all these suits
and ties and dresses and to be wearing
one of the most unflattering outfits
known to mankind but allow me to explain
good evening my name is Emily Morgan the
outfit I’m wearing is the product of 11
years training in martial arts yep when
I was five years old my parents signed
me up for my first karate class and I
cannot begin to explain how much
excitement I felt as it turns out you
don’t actually learn how to do a
backflip on your first day
shocker right but I found a love for it
anyways I stuck with it trained hard at
some points just about eight days a week
and five years later I got my black belt
in fact I kept training all 11 years to
get my third degree black belt and I
eventually took up Krav Maga which for
those who don’t know is the Israeli
self-defense system designed for the
military it’s also known as the
deadliest martial art in the world and
what I will be demonstrating later as I
throw out my slightly hesitant partner
and co-worker Luis are say can we get a
pre-emptive round of applause for him
he’s not gonna pay for the night with
that background I would like to
transition into the main intent of my
TED talk that being my experience
teaching martial arts about three years
ago I was offered an opportunity by my
instructor to help her teach a summer
long program of Krav Maga for adults
like adults you know adults adults
people older than 18 people I had
absolutely no experience interacting
with if you can’t tell I was terrified
but being broke and a freshman not quite
weighed down by the pressures of ib yet
of course I accept it fortunately the
class ended up doing quite well and
about a year later I was offered another
opportunity to teach what we call our
little dragons a program of karate for
preschoolers now despite my inner
germaphobe egging me to turn down the
offer again I accepted and again a
little bit for the paycheck but in
retrospect it’s not the money that I’m
grateful for
it’s everything that I learned for
starters I learned that knowledge can
only get you so far much more important
skills to have are those of
communication adaptation and
improvisation my 11 years of experience
drained for me the moment I walked on
those mats and at some points I learn
material minutes before I have to get in
front of room and teach it and now
unfortunately I know this is a familiar
feeling for all of us too
but what I eventually discovered is that
the key to doing this is focusing on
three main points groupings of three are
the easiest groupings to memorize so for
example if I were teaching you how to
punch
I would tell you to one put your
dominant foot back to keep your elbows
tucked and three twist your body for
power if I told you anything more than
that like how the quickest path to he’s
a straight line keep it thumb in front
of an on top of your knuckles make a 90
confess central hands innermost chuckle
so you upstair shoulder back and keep
you off the ground
most people would forget everything but
lessons like these came from teaching my
adults and as much as I enjoy that class
there’s been even more to learn from
teaching my preschoolers in my opinion
there are some confidence unique to
children which renders them completely
unapologetic to the world around them
for who they are and because of this you
can get to know them better than any
other person admittedly at some points a
little bit more than you would like to
speaking from experience but in the end
these connections allow you to reflect
on yourself by what about yourself you
see in them for example I had one
student who without fail would cry every
single time he didn’t pass a test and I
felt like I was looking in a mirror
because I too distinctly remember crying
every single time I didn’t pass a test
so I had to sit down with him and say
this there’s no such thing as failure
just an opportunity to learn you have to
focus on the amazing things that you did
right and let that define you there’s no
shame in taking your time to learn
something but interestingly enough as I
spoke these words I had a sort of
revelation I need to hear them too I
need to hear them and apply them to my
own life I want it to be the role model
I wish I had another one of the biggest
lessons that has stayed with me through
every single class is that everybody
deserves a chance everybody deserves a
good morning a good night how are you a
role model and a pep-talk everybody
deserves the opportunity to learn I’ve
discovered that the students who walked
through my doors with a fuss or within
five minutes already know that we’re
both gonna be crying Billy end of class
are the same ones begging for attention
because maybe they don’t have enough of
it even as tall boots we all have our
own secret battle and so despite how
draining teaching may become I know the
best thing I can do is give a few extra
high-fives putting twice as much energy
be a little bit more patient than usual
and let them leave feeling proud of
themselves but the wonderful thing is
that with time this patience and
positivity didn’t end when I walked off
the mats
my introductions to new students too shy
to say the name became introductions to
my peers who I’d seen every day but not
really talked to memorizing lesson plans
became memorizing chemistry concepts and
character names pep talks to students
upset over not earning a stripe became
pep talks to myself in the mirror every
morning empowering my students became
empowering myself and living and
thriving as much as I have taught other
people I’ve learned things myself and
because of this I would like to
encourage each and every one of you to
find something you’re passionate about
to surrender yourself to it to learn and
grow from it and when you feel ready to
teach it to other people because ideas
are the most valuable currency we have
in this world and by teaching one thing
there infinite lessons to learn thank
you [Music]
some of the other speakers here tonight
it’s a little bit awkward to be
backstage surrounded by all these suits
and ties and dresses and to be wearing
one of the most unflattering outfits
known to mankind but allow me to explain
good evening my name is Emily Morgan the
outfit I’m wearing is the product of 11
years training in martial arts yep when
I was five years old my parents signed
me up for my first karate class and I
cannot begin to explain how much
excitement I felt as it turns out you
don’t actually learn how to do a
backflip on your first day
shocker right but I found a love for it
anyways I stuck with it trained hard at
some points just about eight days a week
and five years later I got my black belt
in fact I kept training all 11 years to
get my third degree black belt and I
eventually took up Krav Maga which for
those who don’t know is the Israeli
self-defense system designed for the
military it’s also known as the
deadliest martial art in the world and
what I will be demonstrating later as I
throw out my slightly hesitant partner
and co-worker Luis are say can we get a
pre-emptive round of applause for him
he’s not gonna pay for the night with
that background I would like to
transition into the main intent of my
TED talk that being my experience
teaching martial arts about three years
ago I was offered an opportunity by my
instructor to help her teach a summer
long program of Krav Maga for adults
like adults you know adults adults
people older than 18 people I had
absolutely no experience interacting
with if you can’t tell I was terrified
but being broke and a freshman not quite
weighed down by the pressures of ib yet
of course I accept it fortunately the
class ended up doing quite well and
about a year later I was offered another
opportunity to teach what we call our
little dragons a program of karate for
preschoolers now despite my inner
germaphobe egging me to turn down the
offer again I accepted and again a
little bit for the paycheck but in
retrospect it’s not the money that I’m
grateful for
it’s everything that I learned for
starters I learned that knowledge can
only get you so far much more important
skills to have are those of
communication adaptation and
improvisation my 11 years of experience
drained for me the moment I walked on
those mats and at some points I learn
material minutes before I have to get in
front of room and teach it and now
unfortunately I know this is a familiar
feeling for all of us too
but what I eventually discovered is that
the key to doing this is focusing on
three main points groupings of three are
the easiest groupings to memorize so for
example if I were teaching you how to
punch
I would tell you to one put your
dominant foot back to keep your elbows
tucked and three twist your body for
power if I told you anything more than
that like how the quickest path to he’s
a straight line keep it thumb in front
of an on top of your knuckles make a 90
confess central hands innermost chuckle
so you upstair shoulder back and keep
you off the ground
most people would forget everything but
lessons like these came from teaching my
adults and as much as I enjoy that class
there’s been even more to learn from
teaching my preschoolers in my opinion
there are some confidence unique to
children which renders them completely
unapologetic to the world around them
for who they are and because of this you
can get to know them better than any
other person admittedly at some points a
little bit more than you would like to
speaking from experience but in the end
these connections allow you to reflect
on yourself by what about yourself you
see in them for example I had one
student who without fail would cry every
single time he didn’t pass a test and I
felt like I was looking in a mirror
because I too distinctly remember crying
every single time I didn’t pass a test
so I had to sit down with him and say
this there’s no such thing as failure
just an opportunity to learn you have to
focus on the amazing things that you did
right and let that define you there’s no
shame in taking your time to learn
something but interestingly enough as I
spoke these words I had a sort of
revelation I need to hear them too I
need to hear them and apply them to my
own life I want it to be the role model
I wish I had another one of the biggest
lessons that has stayed with me through
every single class is that everybody
deserves a chance everybody deserves a
good morning a good night how are you a
role model and a pep-talk everybody
deserves the opportunity to learn I’ve
discovered that the students who walked
through my doors with a fuss or within
five minutes already know that we’re
both gonna be crying Billy end of class
are the same ones begging for attention
because maybe they don’t have enough of
it even as tall boots we all have our
own secret battle and so despite how
draining teaching may become I know the
best thing I can do is give a few extra
high-fives putting twice as much energy
be a little bit more patient than usual
and let them leave feeling proud of
themselves but the wonderful thing is
that with time this patience and
positivity didn’t end when I walked off
the mats
my introductions to new students too shy
to say the name became introductions to
my peers who I’d seen every day but not
really talked to memorizing lesson plans
became memorizing chemistry concepts and
character names pep talks to students
upset over not earning a stripe became
pep talks to myself in the mirror every
morning empowering my students became
empowering myself and living and
thriving as much as I have taught other
people I’ve learned things myself and
because of this I would like to
encourage each and every one of you to
find something you’re passionate about
to surrender yourself to it to learn and
grow from it and when you feel ready to
teach it to other people because ideas
are the most valuable currency we have
in this world and by teaching one thing
there infinite lessons to learn thank
you [Music]
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