The most rewarding thing I did all year.

Season one of the Realtor CE course series, "Nuts and Bolts with Gerard Home Inspection" is coming to a close, and what an awesome season it was. The series is designed to teach realtors the specifics of how systems in a home work, what can go wrong, and what they should be looking for when they're walking through a home with a client. The Nuts and Bolts series is divided into three parts, the first of which was the electrical course. There was plenty of education, fun and Montgomery Inn BBQ for all.

I had a few specific goals in mind for the courses:
1. No boredom... None. If the class looks bored, its your fault.
2. Teach something that people are going to be able to use in their everyday lives.
3. "Wow" them with your presentation. (Mission accomplished...)

Educating realtors was the goal, but the realtors weren't the only ones learning from the experience. As I was putting the presentation together, I anticipated questions that might be asked by the realtors and dug deep into the science behind our electrical infrastructure and the mechanics of specific components, like different types of breakers and GFCIs. Furthermore, as I was teaching the courses, I was asked some really great questions that I didn't know the answer to, and that drove me to look even deeper to answer the question for both myself and the realtor.

Not only was the course educational for everyone involved, but it was a lot of fun. I am told that staying awake is the biggest challenge for most realtors during CE courses, but there were very few bobbing heads during my classes, which was perhaps the most rewarding part of the series for me.