The most impressive teaching I ever saw was by a Marine drill instructor. He taught 52 ignorant recruits how make a “Swiss seat” harness out of a piece of rope and a carabiner, then rappel down a 50-foot wall.
All 52 learned the skill in less than an hour with 100% success , aka “no one died.”
Not only had we tied our own — we’d checked each other’s, which gave even deeper collective understanding.
Gatekeepers in every field are uncomfortable with the truth:
“Learn one-do one-teach one” is wildly effective.
Some subjects do have clear and high-impact parameters for success :
Open heart surgery
Parachute packing
Septic system repair
These pretty much always require an expert for a positive outcome.
Most things are not like that.
Here is why it’s worth teaching at the edge of your competence:
