Its Different, Teaching Women

I love teaching women.  I teach men too and like that as well, but there is something about being with a group of women that is just, well ... different in such a refreshing way. 

Some of my observations are:

• Women are generally more conscientious.  They want to perform the skill correctly.  They are less interested in being fast and furious with a gun and more interested in learning the skill. 
  
• Women talk.  Oh do they talk!  Sometimes as an instructor, this can be frustrating and annoying.  However, that is how women process information!  They are learning when they are talking (assuming it is talk related to what's going on). A good instructor will recognize this and be more patient.  Instructing is not always about what the instructor is saying - its how the student is processing the information.
  
• Women love feedback!  I have found that women really respond to feedback, and not just positive feedback.  They thrive on the positive feedback but they need honesty and welcome it.  They do not like to feel like someone is placating them or tolerating them.  Women have a keen sense of that and will respond to the instructor accordingly. 
  
• And of course, there is the all-female environment that allows women to discuss things that they would never discuss and ask questions they would never ask if men were present.  Our anatomy is different and that can present some issues that men just know nothing about.  

These are just some of the things that make teaching women a delight!  It is also beyond rewarding to see women who value themselves and love their family enough to get out of their comfort zone and do what they need to do to be able to protect what they love.  Women are fierce in protecting what they love and it is awesome to see that they love themselves enough to defend themselves.