Part 20

My journey into CMCC and chiropractic:

I was to start teaching in September of 1976.  I was 27 years old.  A large group of students in the class were the same age or only a few years younger.  

I actually wrote out my lecture - showed up in class and started reading the lecture.  Very occasionally I would be asked a question or be questioned on the information that I was presenting.  I quickly learned that the key to success is sincerity and once you can fake sincerity you can be successful.   I also learned that never show fear when teaching.  A large number of the students in the class of 1977 went on to become leaders in the profession.

I survived the first year and as I recall I was then asked to assist in the business course in the next year.  The students were not very happy with the course material which included how to write a cheque.

By the third year I was teaching both the jurisprudence course and the business course.  They became two hours lectures each and were back to back.  I began every lecture when the clock struck 12 and ended exactly when the clock struck 10 before the hour.  The lectures began with the words -  It's showtime!   And I wasn't kidding.

I began inviting guest lecturers to assist with the course material.  This involved the lawyers for the regulatory body, the defence insurance company, bankers, accountants, planners, etc.  I would sit at the back of the room and it would be about 15 minutes into their presentation when I started asking questions that would be pertinent to the students' future as practitioners.

I made sure that students understood that while they were professionals, they could only be successful if they could properly operate their practices ensuring that everything from starting up a practice, accounting and billings were done properly.

The most memorable event that occurred in the first year took place in December of 1976 at the CMCC Christmas party.  There were a lot of sick people the next day  - at least those who ate the potato salad.  I don't eat potato salad so I was in great shape.