The partnership between instructor and student is one that is extremely important to both parties. Learning on your own can be possible, but nothing equals 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 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 rely on how well this partnership will go. One is the temperament and skill of the student. This involves not only the talent they were born with and the level of knowledge up to that point, but also their humbleness and desire to lie at the feet of their teacher. Many teachers, while great, may at first provide lessons that the student feels are too difficult, not needed, or not even related to the apparent avenue of instruction. The Karate Kid provides a good example of this, while the character of the student is told to clean the car, “Wax on, wax off”, he sees himself as merely fulfilling the mundane tasks of the old master. It is only after a few days that the boy 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 proper realities of learning from an instructor, but the essential message is true. A student should be willing to accept a teachers lessons even though, at the moment, they may not see how what they are being given would have any advantage. There is a requirement to be humble, a need to accept that one does not know anything, before real learning can take place.

The second aspect of the effectiveness of an instructor/student relationship is the teacher. Some teachers just rely on a system with which to train their students. While this might sometimes be effective, it needs to be kept in mind that individual students are different and will have differing needs in order to be taught most effectively. Simply teaching straight from a book will mean 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 needs to be kept in mind that social situations are often difficult, especially in a relationship like this one, and sometimes things will simply not work out, although no one is really at fault.

Overall, it’s up 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 gain the best experience possible.