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The relationship between instructor and student is one that is extremely vital to both parties. Learning from a book can be possible, but nothing matches the kind of help that a knowledgeable 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 in fact 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 as both a skier and as an instructor, though, can be an incredibly helpful teacher and nurture talent 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 talent they were born with and the level of knowledge up to that time, but also their humbleness and desire to lie at the feet of their instructor. Many teachers, while good, may at first provide lessons that the student believes are too difficult, not needed, or not even related to the seeming avenue of instruction. The Karate Kid gives a good example of this, while the 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 just after a few days that the student realizes he has been trained in how to block and move his arms in a fight.

Of course this is a gross simplification of the actual realities of learning from an instructor, but the essential fact is true. A student must be willing to accept a teachers lessons even though, at the moment, they may not know how what they are learning would have any advantage. There is a requirement to be humble, a need to acknowledge that one does not know it all, before real instruction can take place.

The next aspect of the effectiveness of an instructor/student relationship is the instructor. Some teachers just 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 taking lessons straight from a book will ensure 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 ideal student will not necessarily gel very well. It has to be kept in mind that social situations are often difficult, especially in a relationship like this one, and sometimes it will simply not work out, while no one is really at fault.

Overall, it’s down to both student and instructor to see what they can learn from each other, and how they can best assist the other so that each can gain the best experience possible.


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