I feel my greatest success in teaching is my own growth as an Instructor. Which to me is because of each and every student I’ve had the honor of instructing. In the course of teaching, my students have challenged me to know my subject matter like the back of my hand. Also, the discovery of the different learner styles has humbled me to understand my own learner style and to always teach the student as they need to be taught, not by a category that the instructor textbooks put them into. The art of instructing has fine-tuned an intuitive nature that I didn’t even know I had. Therefore, I view each and every student as a success in her own right. I know now that as an instructor and a nail tech, I’m always striving to do better than the day before and learning should never end; that is what makes this journey so exciting. There is always something new to experience.

Jessica Taylor, Senior Instructor, Honolulu Nail Academy

I try to stay involved with my students and continually give feedback. I ask a lot of questions to make sure the students understand what they are doing and keep interactions flowing. The most rewarding feeling to me is the expressions of gratitude from my students. They send me messages thanking me for my help and tell me about how they are improving since the class. I love seeing them with more confidence.

Candy Nails by Jamaica, Nampa, Idaho

Success in teaching for me is seeing students’ eyes when they get the “light bulb.” You can see when they understand what you have been trying so hard to explain.

Wendi Ingalls, Kenneth Shuler Schools of Cosmetology, Greenville, S.C.

My greatest success that I have had teaching is when someone came up to me and said, “You probably don't remember me, but I took your class years ago and I asked you what should I do to be successful in the nail industry. Even though you were very busy you were so sweet and took your time to give me many inspiring words and even gave me a private demonstration on how to do what was so hard for me at the time.” This person went on to tell me how I inspired them so much that they couldn't begin to explain how I have enriched their career and life. They also shared that because I had paid off their beauty college tuition, it had allowed them to touch someone else's life outside of our industry. Stories like these are awesome, because it shows me that there are so many layers to giving and that love has no boundaries!

John Hauk, Creative Director, Entity Beauty

My greatest success is being involved with all aspects of my business, as it helps me keep a solid pulse on the health of my school. I really learn a lot from our students about how Elite Nail School is preparing them when I facilitate a class. “Communicating for Success” and “Life Skills” are both favorite lessons of mine and they go hand-in- hand. These lessons can make or break your success, both in your career and your life. We are not inherently born with the skills taught in these lessons, and if you have been taught poorly, then your life/career and any difficulties you may face will reflect this. But if we can learn to master these skills, then we can be successful in all areas of our lives!

Georgianna Halverson, Elite Nail School, Madison, Wis.