The relationship between instructor and learner 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 talented person, however. Just because, for instance, a telluride ski instructor is in fact an excellent skier, does not necessarily mean they’ll be capable of giving quality telluride ski lessons. Someone who really 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 relationship will go. One is the mindset and skill of the student. This includes not only the talent 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 instructor. Many teachers, while great, 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 that 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 only after a few days that the student realizes he has been trained in how to block and move his body in a fight.

Of course this is a gross simplification of the proper realities of learning from a teacher, but the essential message is true. A student must be willing to accept a teachers instructions even though, at the moment, they may not see how what they are learning would have any benefit. There is a need to be humble, a need to accept that one does not know anything, before real instruction can take place.

The next aspect of the effectiveness of a teacher/student relationship is the instructor. Some teachers simply rely on a system with which to train their students. While this can sometimes be effective, it needs to be kept in mind that individual students are different and will have different needs in order to be taught most effectively. Simply taking lessons straight from a book will ensure students do not get the type of education that would be the best for them, and this will ultimately be damaging in the long run.

The final aspect is the actual way the two individuals interact with one another. A perfect teacher and ideal student will not always gel very well. It needs to be kept in mind that many 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.