The Inclination to "Teach"

When I was a kid, I taught my brother how to roller skate.

This sounds innocent enough, but if you ask him about it, he will shudder and cringe. You see, my brother already knew how to roller skate.

We had our lessons in the garage when one or both of my parents' cars were gone. The floor was smooth and flat, creating the perfect surface for skill practice. I spent hours planning the lessons, determining what precise skills he needed to work on and developing drills that would help him isolate that particular skill.

The lessons would begin, usually to music, with me demonstrating and him mimicking the drill. Most often, he was perfect the first time. This was frustrating to me. So I picked apart his performance until he had no clue what it was I was trying to get him to accomplish. Now this was something I could work with! I would create impassioned speeches about believing in oneself, practicing until there was nothing less to practice and then practicing some more.

This went on for an entire summer. 3 months of torture for my poor baby brother.

Looking back, it's not difficult to see why I felt the need to teach my brother to roller skate. I had experienced terrible failure that school year. My teacher did not like me and I knew it. I had the skills I needed before I set foot in that classroom. This frustrated her. She proceeded to pick apart my performance until I no longer knew what it was she wanted me to do. She drilled me, I failed... to music.