The best teachers are those without a natural affinity for the skill they are trying to teach. Yeah, I said it.
Before I back up this claim, I am going to take a moment to give a caveat. I said skill, not subject. Having a history or science or literature teacher who loves their subject is a great boon that can inspire students to engage more effectively with the material. A skill – how to do something – is a different story.
Trying to learn how to read or dance or run a cash register or use a piece of software from someone who finds this skill inherently easy can be a nightmare for someone who doesn’t. Have you ever been in the position of just staring at someone trying to cross a communication barrier, but having no clue how? One of you is thinking, “I have no idea how I could possibly make this any simpler,” and the other one is thinking “Nothing you have said has made any sense to me at all.” I have. I’ve been on both sides of this situation, and neither one is any fun at all.
Two Examples
I have always had an affinity for language. I have been an avid reader since I was very young, and wordsmithery has always come easily to me.
You absolutely do not want me to try to teach you to write.
I can edit your writing, and do it well, but I can’t articulate why one sentence flows better than another sentence. For me, that’s instinctual. A good writing teacher can articulate these things, which is what a writing student needs to be able to improve their work.
I do not, on the other hand, have an affinity for anything that requires physical coordination. Nonetheless, I enjoy dancing, and I’m not a bad dancer. Learning choreography can be frustrating however, because I really do need to be hand-held through the steps. If the person teaching me has any kind of instinctual connection to their own body’s movements, we can end up in that staring contest I described earlier.
Once I have grasped choreography, however, I’m actually quite good at teaching it to someone else. Because I have to think carefully about every movement, I can now explain and/or demonstrate those movements on the most basic level.
Can you think of a time where you were trying to teach or learn a skill where there was just too much disconnect between your skill level and the other person’s? Let me know in the comments!