Living authentically, inspiring others, and embracing your role as both teacher and student in life\u2019s endless stream of lessons. That is the art of being.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, someone asked me, \u201cIf you could teach anything, what would it be?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>Honestly, the question caught me off guard. I didn\u2019t have an answer. It\u2019s such a big question that it\u2019s been stuck in my head ever since.<\/p>\n You see, I\u2019ve been a teacher for 38 years. My whole career has been teaching special education and focusing on emotional intelligence. I\u2019ve always loved helping people find their strengths and use them to navigate life with happiness, health and success.<\/p>\n But in all those years, I never stopped to ask myself, \u201cWhat would I teach if I could choose anything?\u201d I didn\u2019t think I needed to. I was just Ronit,<\/em> the teacher, doing what I do best.<\/p>\n That question changed things for me and took me through a process of discovery. It made me think about life, about what I\u2019ve learned, and what I really want to give to the world. Maybe by sharing the process of my discovery about the art of being, I can help you think about your own answers too.<\/p>\n We also learn just by watching others. No one has to sit us down and explain things\u2014we pick up lessons on our own.<\/p>\n When I started thinking about this, I realized that when I chose to study special education nearly 40 years ago, I was answering that same big question: \u201cWhat would you teach?\u201d Back then, my answer was shaped by who I was at the time. Today, it might be a little different.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s forget for a moment about careers, degrees, or whether you even want to be a teacher. Let\u2019s think about life. In a way, we\u2019re all teachers, and we\u2019re all students.<\/p>\n Every day, life teaches us something new. Every person we meet, every interaction or transaction, everything we experience teaches us something and we are forever, students of life.<\/p>\n Sometimes, what seemingly looks like the same things that happen to us will not bring us to the same conclusions. Why? Because we are not the same people, we were the last time it happened. It is never the same lesson, and we are not the same students.<\/em><\/p>\n What\u2019s amazing is that two people can go through the same event and come away with completely<\/strong> different lessons. Even when the same thing happens to us twice, it will not bring us to the same conclusions. Why? Because we are not the same people, we were the last time it happened. It is never the same lesson, and we are not the same students.<\/em><\/p>\n We also learn just by watching others. No one has to sit us down and explain things\u2014we pick up lessons on our own.<\/p>\n When I started thinking about this, I realized that when I chose to study special education nearly 40 years ago, I was answering that same big question: \u201cWhat would you teach?\u201d Back then, my answer was shaped by who I was at the time.<\/p>\n Today, I\u2019m different.<\/p>\n Teaching is more than a job. It\u2019s about leaving your mark on the world. It\u2019s your gift to humanity.<\/p>\n When I was younger, my gift was clear. I struggled as a child, and I wanted to help other kids avoid the pain I went through. I wanted to save them.<\/p>\n I decided that if I could help just three children every year, it would be enough. I believed those three children would go on to help others, creating a ripple effect of kindness and understanding. By helping them, I would contribute to a better world. That thought filled me with purpose.<\/p>\n When I went through my education degree, we talked a lot about the impact teachers have on their students. One activity stuck with me: we had to think about a teacher who had changed our lives.<\/p>\n It was harder than you\u2019d think. Out of the hundreds of teachers I\u2019d had, I could only name two or three who made a real difference, who contributed to who I\u2019m and whom I carry with me into my adulthood and my desire to help others become the best version of themselves.<\/p>\n That realization of me having only two or three teachers that could fit those criteria was both shocking and inspiring. (lucky me, during my degree, added to it 6 more teachers, even one horrible teacher that contributed greatly to who I am today)<\/p>\n I decided I wanted to be one of those unforgettable teachers for my students. I wanted to be someone they\u2019d remember, not for the subject I taught, but for the way I made them feel and the way I believed in them.<\/p>\n When I opened my early childhood center, Garden of Eden,<\/em> I found a way to expand my impact. Instead of helping one child at a time, I could support their parents too.<\/p>\n If parents knew how to nurture their kids\u2019 potential, they could make a difference not just for one child, but for their whole family. Before the early childhood center, it was one kid at a time, after, it was one family at a time. It was like multiplying the ripple effect.<\/p>\n Later, I started mentoring teachers. That took things to a whole new level. By helping other teachers see their potential, I could touch the lives of hundreds, maybe even thousands\u2014of students. Suddenly, my gift, my mark, expanded so much that I was motivated, empowered, to do my job, to get up in the morning, to live my purpose.<\/p>\n The more I thought about it, the more I realized that teaching isn\u2019t just about the subject or what you do in the classroom. It\u2019s about how you live your life. It\u2019s about the lessons you leave behind for others, whether they\u2019re your students, their parents, their teachers, your own children, your friends or even strangers who cross your path.<\/p>\n Three years ago, when I was asked, \u201cIf you could teach anything, what would it be?\u201d I didn\u2019t know how to answer. There were so many things I wanted to teach that I couldn\u2019t pick just one.<\/p>\n For three years, I kept coming back to that question. Every time, I\u2019d try to narrow it down, but I never could.<\/p>\n Then, one day, it hit me: I don\u2019t have to choose.<\/p>\n I\u2019m already a teacher, whether I\u2019m in a classroom or not. Every day, I teach\u2026 being by being myself. I live by my values, and I try to lead by example.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve realized that teaching isn\u2019t about standing in front of a class or following a lesson plan. It\u2019s about being authentic. It\u2019s about living in a way that inspires others to learn and grow.<\/p>\n This brings me back to the idea that we\u2019re all teachers, and we\u2019re all students.<\/p>\n Think about your own life. You are a teacher too, a teacher of life. The way you live, the choices you make, the way you treat people\u2014it\u2019s all teaching someone something. Even if you don\u2019t realize it, you\u2019re leaving a mark on the world and making a difference.<\/p>\n At the same time, life is constantly teaching you. Every mistake, every success, every interaction is a lesson. You are a student of life. As long as you are alive you are learning, and this learning becomes that thing you give the world.<\/p>\nForever students and teachers<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.ronitbaras.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/teach.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nTeaching as a gift<\/h2>\n
![\"Boy](\"https:\/\/www.ronitbaras.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/life-experience.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nThe Ripple Effect<\/h2>\n
![\"Ripple](\"https:\/\/www.ronitbaras.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ripple.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture>What Would I Teach?<\/h2>\n
We Are All Teachers and Students<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.ronitbaras.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fishing.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture>The Art of Being<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ronitbaras.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/laughing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1\")