Are you familiar with the saying ”Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach?” The implication is that if you have not achieved success in your chosen field, you can always fall back on teaching.
There’s no environment better to dispel this misleading notion (and insult to a profession that shapes the lives of future generations) than a career school. And, there’s no better educator than Kathryn (Reni) Woertink, a Cosmetology School instructor at Salon Success Academies.
Reni is one of the lucky ones who knew what she wanted to do early in life. Recently she found a letter that she had written to her sister announcing that she wanted to be a beautician when she grew up. Reni was eight years old when she wrote the letter and has been a licensed Cosmetologist since she was 17…two months before graduating high school!
Ask Reni if she enjoys teaching and she responds, “I absolutely love it – every aspect of the job!” She has to stop and think when asked what makes her happiest about teaching, because she loves everything about being a cosmetology instructor -- the challenges, excitement and the hectic atmosphere. “If I had to pick one thing,” says Reni, “it’s when a former student comes back and says they are so happy in their career and that they couldn’t have done it without me. What a rush!”
In 1990, Reni ventured into teaching at a beauty school by accident. One day when her sister-in-law asked if Reni would do her hair, Reni is frank in her response. “I wasn’t too fond of her, so I suggested that she try a nearby beauty school where my niece worked. While my sister-in-law was ‘in the chair’ my niece asked me if my Cosmetology license was current and if I would be interested in teaching Cosmetology. She gave me an overview of the job and I went home to think it over. The next morning I called and said, ‘when do I start?’”
Fast forward seventeen years. Reni arrives at Salon Success Academies San Bernardino campus at least an hour before class starts to prepare for another hectic day (“good hectic”, says Reni). Frequently, several students arrive five minutes after her, so enthusiastic to learn, that they are already asking questions before their classes start. At day’s end, students follow her to her car with more questions.
At the beginning, the Cosmetology program is a combination of theory and practice on mannequins (California law requires cosmetology students to have 200 hours of schooling before they are allowed to work on “live, paying clients.”)
When the theory gets a bit tedious, Reni’s creativity kicks in. For example, learning about bacteria is critical to cosmetologists who must practice the highest standards of safety and hygiene for their customers. Reni makes a game of it by challenging her students to create a song to the tune of “Under the Boardwalk” that includes the names of all the bacteria.
Reni’s teaching philosophy for the theory portion of Cosmetology training is that everything is open for discussion. Rather than standing in front of her students lecturing, Reni encourages feedback and interactivity in the classroom. “I want them to challenge me every step of the way,” she says.
When asked what her goals are for her students, Reni replies, “I want them to love the business as much as I do and maintain their passion to make people look good.” As much as Reni loved working as a Cosmetologist, she says that she doesn’t miss standing behind the chair; she loves being in the classroom and on the clinic floor training the next generation of beauty professionals for success in the beauty industry.
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