Yesterday morning I taught the first of six "Intro to Kayaking" classes that Outdoors, Inc., is offering this summer. Heavy rain had fallen overnight, but by 8 AM the worst of it had moved out and five students and I braved the lingering showers on Pine Lake out at Shelby Farms.
One of the best woodworking instructors I have worked with once pointed out that "the most highly-skilled people are the ones who simply do the basics better than everyone else." That's why I think teaching others is the best way to become truly proficient at something: even though I was a math major in college, it wasn't until I had taught it at the high school level for a few years that I gained a comfortable knowledge of mathematics up through first-year calculus. That's because teaching forced me to revisit the basics and learn things I'd thought I'd known even better. Paddling is no different. In these classes out at Pine Lake, I'm covering things I've done a million times--adjusting the life jacket and skirt, holding the paddle, getting in a boat and adjusting the foot pegs and engaging the rudder--but I'm forced to explain why I do each step the way I do, and questions from the beginning students often prompt me to think about the basics in ways I never have before.
One of the best summer camp canoeing programs I have ever seen is the one at Camp Merrie-Woode for girls near Cashiers, North Carolina. The highest rank a girl can achieve in that program is "Captain," and one of the final hurdles she must clear to earn that rank is to teach some novice person the basics of paddling. I believe that to call yourself an expert in any field, you must spend time teaching others.
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