What is credibility?
Good old google tells me it is "the quality of being trusted and believed in".
Where does it come from?
That can be a tougher nut to crack. In animal sports it can be earned by competition placement, titles and great big ribbons. Some people believe without titles one shouldn't teach.
But if one teaches and one's students do well isn't that also worth trust and belief? I'd posit yes. Actually if one's students learn I'd theorize that credibility is achieved.
Sometimes I wonder about people.
Often I wonder about people. When you think about it I get paid to wonder about people so that's probably a good thing. There was a trainer, judge, competitor in a non agility dog sport awhile back claiming that unless one had a multiplicity of titles and was a pro one shouldn't be teaching.
As a teacher of a whole lot of things I know this isn't quite right. I have taught many a person to breath through, and out of, panic attacks. I have never personally experienced a full blown panic attack. I have spent a great deal of time being truly present with people in the midst of them. I have observed and studied and spoken to many people about them. I have had many people going into crisis ask for me to be with them over people with much more experience.
National titles are lovely, big ribbon walls are impressive, but the best teacher for you may or may not have either of those things. They should have dedication - both to learning to be better teachers and to helping you be the best you can, or want, to be.
Finding the right instructor is HARD. Cred for you may not be the same as what earns cred in my book. Like so much else I blog about it really does depend. For me, I want instructors willing to listen to me, respect my animal partner but who can push me to excel. as well. Thanks to my horse sport life I never think I have outgrown the benefit of a second set of eyes and ideas but I have determined some criteria for what earns cred to me.
- Good eyes - that are on the student not their phone.
- A kind and generous personality - one that wants excellence
- Honest - there is no use in telling me "good good good" when there are errors being made
- Experience playing the game I'm playing - I don't care if you aren't at my level but you'd better have tried what you teach at some level
- A willingness to say "I don't know - let's find out" my personality asks questions - and once I trust my second eyes I ask them lots of questions - I don't expect absolute knowledge but i do expect respect for my curiosity
- An ability to express things in other ways if i just don't get it
Give me this and I will be excited about working together!!
