The partnership between instructor and student is one that is extremely vital to both parties. Learning on your own can be possible, but nothing equals the kind of help that an experienced expert can provide. There is a great difference between a good teacher and a talented person, however. Just because, for example, a telluride ski instructor is themselves an excellent skier, does not necessarily mean they’ll be able to give quality telluride ski lessons. Someone who absolutely knows what they’re doing both as a skier and as an instructor, though, can be an incredibly helpful teacher and nurture skill to an amazing degree.
Three things rely on how well this partnership will go. One is the mindset and skill of the student. This involves not only the skill they were born with and their level of knowledge up to that time, but also their humbleness and willingness to lie at the feet of their teacher. Many teachers, while great, may at first provide lessons that the student feels are too difficult, not needed, or not even related to the seeming avenue of instruction. The Karate Kid provides a good example of this, while that character of the student is told to clean the car, “Wax on, wax off”, he views himself as merely fulfilling the chores of the old master. It is only after a few days that the student realizes he has been trained in how to block and move his body in a fight.
Of course this is a major simplification of the actual 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 time, they may not see how what they are being given would have any advantage. There is a requirement to be humble, a need to accept 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 teach their students. While this might sometimes be effective, it has 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 ensure students do not get the type of education that would best suit them, and this will inevitably be damaging in the long run.
The final aspect is the actual way the two people interact with each other. A perfect teacher and perfect student will not necessarily gel very well. It has to be kept in mind that social situations are often difficult, especially in a relationship such as 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 assist the other so that each can have the best experience possible.
