On Teaching

I came here with the intention of posting another book review, but instead I shall let my mind flow for this time.

I believe that there is a rule at work when it comes to learning and teaching. When the transaction in the form of a lesson is taking place, the learner is as important as the teacher.

Granted, a great teacher will inspire and arouse the interest of his students, like Jesus. But even Jesus preached to many deaf ears, with only a handful of disciples in need of tuition for 40 days before the Ascension.

The point I want to make is this: we are shifting responsibilities (and blame) everywhere but ourselves. We go for a course, didn’t get anything out of it – course lecturer has no content. We go for music lesson, didn’t know how to play well – music teacher incompetent. We go for sermon, slept – pastor uninteresting. I’m not a saint in this as well, and I’m writing this to remind myself of my flaws. Effective learning needs diligent work and the correct attitude. We failed many times to ask ourselves what we should be doing when learning, but instead we expect some magic pill to grant us immediate mastery effortlessly.

The reason I wrote this is because students who thinks there’s a magic pill somewhere irritates the heck out of a teacher. If there really is a magic pill, it lies in the form of prayers and a lot of sacrifices. The disciples probably got the most magic pill-ish understanding on Pentecost, but that is not without prayers and God’s sovereignty. Their sacrifices thereafter would be an understatement if I describe them here.

I used to give some guitar lessons, but I got quite fed up with people wanting to practice 1-2 hours a week and expecting to play like Steve Vai. When it dawns on them that it’s not going to happen, they give up. Plain and simple. It maybe my fault – uninspiring, uninteresting,  nothing but tedium involved. But that’s how you gain – repeating and practicing over and over again despite all the drills.

Which brings me back to the initial rule – that the learner is as important as the teacher. It is my hope that when I teach, I can inspire and arouse at least a hint of interest, but it is my prayer that the learners come prepared.