I believe, as you get older, you become more reflective. It's only human nature to go back and see how you got here. I'm positive that I would not change a thing on this journey... after all, it's what has made me who I am.
When I was a child, I did well in school. The system rewarded those of us who were great at memorization and recantation. I always thought school was easy. That is until Grade 12. Yeah, sadly as I was preparing for university, I never completely understood the amount of time and energy required to be an excellent learner. Succeeding in school is not nearly the same as being a student... a learner... an absorber of information. Memorization was not as important as it once was and it created issues for me in Grade 13 and university.
Let's fast forward several years. I was now married, had two children and my supportive and loving wife urged me to go back to university to get my degree. It was the best thing I ever did. Not because I became an excellent student but... I had life experience and could easily filter out the academia. I realized that not everything we are taught is useful or even applicable. My degree opened doors and for that, I am forever grateful.
Being a father, a coach, a cub leader made me take a different look at creating an environment where learning would be fun. It was not about spoon feeding. It was about epiphanies - it was about watching the joy when a concept became accepted and understood.
Another jump step! in 1997, when I got hired by the Oland Specialty Beer Company, a fire got lit underneath me. I found a passion toward learning. I became emotionally attached to all things beer. Then in 2001, I became the National Sales Training Manager in the Learning and Development department at Labatt and that situation created a fork in the road that was glorious.
I do believe, we all have a purpose in life... possibly many purposes but in 2001, I realized that being an educator was my purpose. I am constantly learning from others and am proud to admit that I love to learn. More than that... I am overjoyed to be able to share what I have learned with others.
Prud'homme Beer Certification has become a gift to me... it's what drives me! I never stop trying to make it better. I never stop thinking about what would make one of my students say "WOW"!
in 2009, I became the first beer educator to adopt an online learning platform. I knew it was a way for me to reach people outside of my geographical area or people who were time challenged with a classroom setting. Never, in my life, did I expect online to become such an important part of how we learn.
I am thrilled to be able to get back into a classroom after such a long and extended hiatus. I am beyond excited to continue to develop an online platform that takes beer education into another level.
Look for new innovations in beer education in 2021 as we continue to drive the quality of our programs up.