The partnership between instructor and learner is one that is extremely vital to both parties. Learning on your own can be possible, but nothing matches 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 instance, 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 really 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 partnership will go. One is the temperament 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 gives lessons that the student feels are too difficult, not appropriate, or not even related to the apparent avenue of instruction. The Karate Kid gives a good example of this, while that character of the student is told to clean the car, “Wax on, wax off”, he sees himself as merely fulfilling the chores of the old master. It is just 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 a teacher, 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 learning can take place.

The next aspect of the effectiveness of a teacher/student relationship is the teacher. Some teachers just rely on a system with which to teach their students. While this can sometimes be effective, it has to be kept in mind that all 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 kind of education that would be the best for them, and this will ultimately be damaging in the long run.

The last aspect is the actual way the two individuals interact with one another. 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 such as this one, and sometimes things will simply not work out, while no one is really at fault.

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