The Curse of Knowledge

I’ve had a handful of professors at Waterloo that are lousy teachers. They’re lousy teachers not because of a lack of knowledge or effort but because they forgot how it feels to be a beginner.

On the other hand, my Physics II professor doesn’t have a background in Physics and it’s her second time teaching the course. I was skeptical at first but she’s proven me wrong. She’s one of my best professors this semester.

The fact that she doesn’t have the experience or background is an advantage as a Lecturer because she remembers what it feels like to be in the students shoes.

This is the same reason why are classmates can teach us concepts better than our professors.

Especially when starting out, I can learn more from someone whose a few steps ahead of me in the journey compared to someone whose already reached the destination. They can relate to my situation because they remembered what it feels like to be in my position.