The relationship between instructor and learner is one that is extremely important to both parties. Learning on your own can be possible, but nothing matches the kind of help that a knowledgeable expert can provide. There is a large difference between a good teacher and a smart person, however. Just because, for example, a telluride ski instructor is in fact 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 as both 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 relationship 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 point, but also their humbleness and desire to lie at the feet of their teacher. Many teachers, while good, may at first gives lessons that the student feels 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 instructor to clean the car, “Wax on, wax off”, he sees himself as merely fulfilling the mundane tasks of the old master. It is just after a few days that the boy 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 proper realities of learning from an instructor, but the essential fact is true. A student must be willing to accept a teachers instructions even though, at the time, they may not see how what they are being given would have any benefit. There is a requirement to be humble, a need to accept that one does not know it all, before real learning can take place.

The next 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 can 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 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 each other. A perfect teacher and perfect student will not always 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, although 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 accommodate the other so that each can gain the best experience possible.