Those Who Can’t, Teach?
In his 1903 comedic play Man and Superman, George Bernard Shaw wrote: Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. The comment, meant as support from one character to another, belittles educators.
Once given life, the idiom stuck, negative connotations about teaching and all. The maxim isn’t a universal truth. Nor, if you look at Shaw’s actions, did the author himself believe it. After all, Shaw helped created the London School of Economics, a top university at the time.
There are many people who share their passion about a subject through the dissemination of knowledge. Likewise there are people who should never be in charge of shaping anything other than a lump of clay, much less a human mind. Not all the do-ers enjoy the fruits of their rewards (or are valued by the recipients of that skill).
Quite simply, those who can’t, don’t.
But that’s a line that’s less likely to get laughs from an audience.
Sometimes, the action of doing teaches inherently. While there may be a disparity between those who can and those who can’t, it’s less likely to be about their ability and more likely to be about the time they have to do both.
I love creating characters with depth and worlds for them to inhabit for readers who enjoy the escape such worlds provide. Why would I not want to share those mechanics with someone equally drawn to the magic of creativity? There can never be too much escapism in the world… especially the world in its current state.
We evolve through learning, experimentation, and pure happenstance. I don’t think I could discount one part of that equation for the sake of prioritizing the other two.
Yes, I am a do-er, and I’m a teacher, and quite happy to straddle both camps. I’m a lifelong learner, too. Maybe I won’t be able to recall everything I’ve read, seen, and heard when prompted. The journey of learning is as enticing to me as what I’ve learned, itself.
Extemporize, challenge the old, break molds with the new and let yourself go. Teach what you can do, and learn what you can’t.