Often times we get to hear statements from people such as “I am a self-trained guitarist” or “yeah, I learnt to play basketball by myself”. The concept of “self-trained” is not new. All of us have come across people who say it. A lot of us say it ourselves! I say it whenever people ask me where I learnt to play the acoustic guitar. There is a weird sense of satisfaction to utter those magical words and look at the expression on the other person’s face. But is it true? Are those who call themselves self-trained, really self-trained? If so, do we really need a teacher?

The fact is that we all need a teacher and have somehow used the expertise of a teacher – directly or indirectly. Think about it.

Direct interaction with a teacher is when you physically go to a teacher and learn the skills from them.

Indirect interaction is something which is a gift thanks to the internet and the age of communication. People around the world make tutorial videos for various skills, music being one, and upload it on Youtube, which can then be viewed by anybody at any corner of the world and learn from it.

Most “self-trained” individuals have learnt from an online source or a book. It need not be an instructional content at all, there are people who have learnt by just observing others. TED talks have been very inspirational to many.

So, revisiting the question – Do I need a teacher? The answer is yes, we all need a direct or indirect interaction with a teacher. But then, what is it about a teacher that makes such a significant difference in our learning? Read on.

1. Learn from a more skilled individual

This is a no brainer. We generally try and learn things from others who are more experienced and skilled than we are. It makes sense.

2. Learn from their past mistakes

As part of the learning experience, the most valuable resource that a teacher can provide is their past mistakes, and the takeaways from them.

3. Avoid re-inventing the wheel

This is an extension of the above point. The past experiences of the teacher are helpful in stopping us from doing the same rookie mistakes. We do not have to figure stuff out from scratch because it has already been done.

4. A different perspective on your approach

The most important aspect a teacher can provide, (direct experience with a teacher is more beneficial in this case unless your online source lets you communicate with them), is a different opinion on your ideas and the way you are progressing. We generally tend to become accustomed with what we create. That is because we had formulated a concept in our mind and worked for a significant amount of time and then came out with something. In our minds, that might be a wonderful thing or be perfect in all aspects. A teacher, with their superior experience or even just as a different person, but more skilled, can offer a different perspective that can be helpful in improving yourself and your work.

5. A teacher is not an absolute master, but a master of communication and learners themselves

This is perhaps the most important feature of a teacher (that rhymes!).

It is not necessary to be an absolute master in your subject to be a good teacher. If it were so, then we would all want to learn physics from Einstein himself. Yes, a better than average grasp of the fundamentals is essential, however, the more important aspects that a teacher needs is a superior communication skill, an ability to explain concepts better with great examples and metaphors, an ability to tell compelling stories no matter what you teach. It is perfectly alright if a teacher is unable to answer a student’s question. It makes them go back, think about it, review it, and come up with a satisfactory answer. Which is why a thirst within themselves to learn is perhaps the most important trait of a good teacher because how else would you inspire your students to keep learning?

A great teacher, has the capacity to simplify things enough to ensure it sticks in the students’ mind. They innovate in the way certain concepts get communicated, often times using metaphors, real-life analogies and examples that leads to efficient information retention among the students.

Please feel free to share your thoughts.