As an instructor, you can only hope you are making a significant impact on the lives of your students and clients. When they show up for themselves time and time again you can feel proud. But when you get a shoutout, now that’s gold!
For Teacher Appreciation Week, the first week of May, three Recess instructors share some of their favorite testimonials and why they love teaching.
Nan Luma
Head Coach, iLUMAnate
Something about Nan: She places high value on FUN, FREEDOM, and CONNECTION.
Recess: What do you love most about teaching?
Nan Luma: What I love most about teaching is the moment between the past and the future —the journey we take together, creating mutual trust and transparency through the ebbs and flows. It’s more than “I love to help people” – that’s not it for me! That’s built into all of us already; it’s a given that I love to help people. What I love most is the experience of someone breaking free of their own limitations or stories that kept them stuck.
Recess: You transform people’s lives inside and out. Can you share a testimonial of a student that had a major breakthrough?
A testimony that stands out to Nan was her client who has lost nearly 100lbs in just over a year.
“Nan is a phenomenal teacher. The reasons – she’s skilled, compassionate, and liberating with her training and movement. We set goals and baselines but are not consumed by them. Our lives are transformed by our work together with action, consistency, and discipline. There is the freedom to be and exist as you are with Nan and her coaching, and I’m grateful as her client to feel empowered and stronger every day from the foundations we created a year ago.” (C.S.)
Buddy Macuha
Wellness Coach and Motivational Speaker
Something about Buddy: His career has spanned over 2 decades! Buddy believes everyone should move their body daily and embrace the power to live an amazing life.
Recess: Why do you love teaching?
I love teaching because I love seeing students progress and have those “aha” moments! I enjoy helping people find their flow in life through movement, a positive attitude, and laughter!
Recess: Do you have a story about a student that sticks out in your mind?
I had a student who took a class with me a couple of years ago. She would always come and wouldn’t say much. She would go through the class, smile occasionally, and then would quietly leave when the class was done. A few weeks later, she wrote me a card telling me how grateful she was to have found my class. She told me she suffered from depression and had some health issues. She wasn’t motivated to exercise let alone do yoga. Imagine her surprise when she discovered my yoga class! She told me that the class opened her up to possibilities in her life and that each day was a brand new day to start fresh. Every time she attended, she felt her mood shift and she began to come out of her shell. After she gave me the card, she talked to me more and even laughed when she would make a mistake!
It’s stories like these that I know that I’m helping people on so many levels even when I don’t even realize it!
Thank you RECESS for giving me the opportunity to share my love of movement and yoga!
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Mike Dewar
Founder of Prove/FIT
Something about Mike: He is all about form and intensity matched with amazing music!
Recess: Why do you enjoy teaching?
Why I love teaching is being able to make an impact on people’s health and fitness. My goal is to help people get the results they deserve without making fitness feel like a full-time job. There is more to life than working out. It’s also awesome to guide others to feel more confident, empowered, and looking their best doesn’t hurt either.
Recess: Any unforgettable shoutouts you care to share?
This one’s from my client Alex in Melbourne Australia. “As someone who wants no fuss, little preparation, and is solely focused on personal outcomes, Mike’s online coaching has been the perfect fit for me. Despite having worked out most of my life I am not somebody who enjoys walking into the gym and have never found it engaging due to the repetitive nature of the workouts. Since joining Fit40 I have found Mike’s approach to be genuine and different in the sense that he continues to deliver high quality, efficient, and results-based workouts…. all in the comfort of my own home. What started out as a ‘covid alternative’ to the gym, Mike’s online classes are now my ‘new norm’ despite gyms re-opening in Australia. Through his program, I’ve seen better results from a strength and conditioning perspective and his coaching style always keeps me accountable.”
As instructors, you are always giving so it’s nice to be on the receiving end of positive feedback and true appreciation. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!