You are your first student

Praise, growing up—as a kid-genius—teachers would say, "if you cannot explain something to someone else, you never truly understood it".

Today, it's been popularised to be a quote of Einstein or Newton; that someone who truly understands a thing can explain it to anyone.

Hmmm.

This letter had me thinking since Monday. How'd I start—especially when I'm also not a fan of being the devil's advocate? You know the usual contrarian? "When everyone zigs, you zag? That contrarian—that's not me.

Yet, this had me so perplexed all week.

Why is my ability to communicate a finite determinant of my expertise? What if the listener isn't just good at understanding? Is it the fault of the teacher? What if he doesn't have the necessary background to understand what I'm saying? Does that make me any less understanding of the topic?

Critiquing this one take has had me ruminating on countless others I've been bombarded with since childhood.

But this one take in particular had me learning new things for people, rather than for myself. Every time I learn something new, the question at the back of my head is "how can I tell someone else about this?"

It sounds selfless. But what you missed is that every time, I rob myself the opportunity to teach me—my first student.

For if I can teach myself, I have understood it. Every other thing is peripheral.

Yes, I may need to learn communication. I may need to tell intriguing stories. I will learn the concept of parables, or find something relatable to speak with.

However, communicating to others is not a function of my understanding of the subject. It is simply a function of 'communication'.

No one accuses the deaf for lack of thinking.

Like me, if you are passionate about teaching people. Teach them like you taught yourself. When you were your student, you were patient with yourself. You used similar words to help with memory. You found certain references to simplify the terms.

Teach people on their own terms, like you did yours. That's what a good teacher does—they spend time learning how to communicate than they do understanding.

I have shared some of the craziest examples in my short experience with teaching.

One time, I used the club experience to talk about "Identifying Clients". I used prostitution to talk about "Brand Positioning". I used a naming ceremony to talk about "Brand Identity". And I used this in front of Gen Zs.

To a millennial audience, instead of prostitution, I used their own stories of past experiences speaking onstage to talk about "Brand Positioning".

To my parents—who are pastors—I used multiple pages of the Bible to explain the role of branding and messaging to them and the 9 other church Elders.

However, if I couldn't explain it—which is the point of today's letter—it didn't mean I understood it any less.

So, Praise, I hope today, you forgive and allow yourself to learn at your feet. That's where understanding comes from.

Or so I think.

Ciao.

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