Getting the Most From Teachers
The relationship between instructor and student is one that is extremely important to both parties. Learning on your own can be possible, but nothing equals the kind of help that a knowledgeable expert can provide. There is a great difference between a good teacher and a smart person, however. Just because, for example, a telluride ski instructor is themselves an excellent skier, does not for certain mean they’ll be capable of giving quality telluride ski lessons. Someone who absolutely knows what they’re doing both as a skier and as an instructor, however, can be an incredibly effective teacher and nurture skill to an amazing degree.
Three things depend on how well this relationship will go. One is the mindset and skill of the student. This involves not only the skill they were born with and the level of knowledge up to that point, but also their humbleness and desire to lie at the feet of their teacher. Many teachers, while good, may at first provide lessons that the student believes are too difficult, not appropriate, or not even related to the seeming avenue of instruction. The Karate Kid gives a good example of this, while that character of the student is instructor to clean the car, “Wax on, wax off”, he views himself as merely fulfilling the mundane tasks of the old master. It is only after a few days that the student realizes he has been instructed in how to block and move his arms in a fight.
Of course this is a major simplification of the proper realities of learning from an instructor, but the essential message is true. A student must be willing to accept a teachers lessons even though, at the moment, they may not see how what they are being given would have any advantage. There is a need to be humble, a need to acknowledge that one does not know it all, before real instruction can take place.
The second aspect of the effectiveness of an instructor/student relationship is the teacher. Some teachers simply rely on a system with which to train their students. While this can sometimes be effective, it needs to be kept in mind that individual students are different and will have differing needs in order to be instructed most effectively. Simply teaching straight from a book will mean students do not get the type of education that would best suit them, and this will ultimately be damaging in the long run.
The last aspect is the actual way the two individuals interact with each other. A perfect teacher and perfect student will not always gel very well. It needs to be kept in mind that social situations are often troubled, especially in a relationship like this one, and sometimes things will simply not work out, while no one is really at fault.
Overall, it’s up to both student and teacher to see what they can gain from each other, and how they can best accommodate the other so that each can have the best experience possible.
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