First, I need to make a distinction between two seemingly similar words; teach and train. To ‘teach’ is to impart knowledge and information. To ‘train’ is to pass on a specific skill through instruction, practice and repetition.
I am ok with teaching but suck at training others. What makes it worse, in my view, is that it is more to do with temperament rather than innate ability on my part.
Any day, I am happy to pass my knowledge and whatever information I have to individuals or groups, expecting them to take it on board and do with it what they will.
Now, to show someone how to do something to a satisfactory level of competence requires patience beyond my resources. I have even tried it with my own children and it ended in tears (not always theirs). Apart from patience, training demands having more than one way of showing someone how to do something so, if they don’t get it one way, they might get it in another; a capability not always available in my tool box. Instead of thinking: ‘this method is not working, let’s try this another way’, I repeat the same method but now with a tone of frustration, followed by an edge of menace and finally, verbal aggression.
At the age of 10, all three of our daughters had to sit special tests in order to be accepted at selective senior schools in England, known as Grammar schools. These tests consist of more than 120 multiple choice questions on numerical, logical and verbal reasoning in a limited timeframe. It is almost impossible for a 10-year old child to walk into such an exam and ace it without being coached by the school, private tutors or in our case, by me! The child had to learn three separate techniques: comprehension of the question, deducing the right answer, in a time-managed manner.
Each technique was worked on separately for hours and days using past papers. Each technique presented its own problems, not least of which, mental and temperamental exhaustion. I can still remember those Sunday afternoons when I would make a poor effort at being patient and encouraging, the poor girl sensing my mounting frustration, would start crying and me finally losing the plot before my wife would come and rescue both of us from this mutual torture.
In the end, all three girls made it to Grammar schools in spite, not because of my efforts and naturally, I am very proud of their accomplishments, but not of my training capabilities.
So, if you ever want me to show you how to flip pancakes, solve quadratic equations, iron a shirt like a pro, jump-start a car, or hang wallpaper, come with very thick skin and be prepared to be shouted at until you burst into tears.
To save both of us from tears, why don’t you check it out on YouTube and then practice on your own, you’re more likely to get better results.
