The student used to perform the skill at higher levels

Sometimes the teacher will see the degrading of skills.  Many of the areas mentioned in this list of statements could be the cause of degrading skills.  These include everything from stressful events in the life of a student, to changes in medication schedule to medical issues in the student.  It also could simply be that the teacher has neglected to build the maintenance of skills into the program.

Potential Remedy

One should always begin by looking at the most obvious answer to a question.  Your instructor was once frustrated with a circular saw he was using.  Now he was having a bad day, he could have assumed that power had gone out in most of Southern California that day (which was what really happened), but instead he figured he had a bad saw, and threw it like the hammer throw in the Olympics (26.7 meters!  Could be a record in the circular saw throw).  Anyway, there are rare occasions when there may be a more exotic reason for  a particular problem, however, the teacher should begin by looking at what she is doing.  Is she maintaining the skills?

You can email Dr. McNair at jmcnair@calbaptist.edu

Copyright Jeff McNair/jeffmcnair.com