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On 7/23/98 9:10, Claus Lisberg, clisberg@po*.te*.dk* posted:
>However, I'd like answers such
>as *why* things are done in this or that way, or why this bondage wing sucks,
>because there will *inevitably* be fellow divers that will ask me this. I'd
>like to be able to provide a clear answer.
I see your point, and to a very limited extent, I agree.
However.
I still remember the Journeman I swear I learned the most from.
Nobody could get along with him, and I was assigned to him during my 2nd
year as an apprentice, in about 1979, or 1980.
We were building an elevator shaft, which is a very repetitive job, you
build four wall forms, move up a floor, and build the same four sets of
forms. There were three teams of us, so we'd leapfrog up 3 floors at a
time.
During the first week, I noticed two things. The first was that nothing I
did was good enough, and the second was that we were, about every third
leap, on top *TWICE*. That is, we'd leapfrog to the top, and then, before
anyone could leap above us, we'd leap again, and be on top again.
There was only one conclusion, that our team was much, much faster than
the other two teams. I knew it wasn't me performing these miracles, it
had to be him.
He never spoke to me except to critisize, several apprentices had quit in
disgust, and one in tears, because of his attitude. He was fast becoming
a legend. He usually didn't restrict his remarks to the trade, or
construction, he usually expanded the discussion to include WHY I was
unable to fullfill his expectations, and to comment on the various
mammals that were clearly present in my family tree, and how they came to
be there.
Well, when I realized that we were building forms much faster than the
other teams, and that that meant that we were going to get laid off LAST,
I decided that he was going to get blind obediance, and I was going to
fucking ignore his complaining, and do whatever he said, as hard as I
could. Maybe I could learn something.
That went on for about a week, and then, one day, I arrived. We were
moving up, and this floor was different. I don't remember what was
different, I just remember that we had some additional layout work to do.
I had finished hauling my tools, his tool, and the power tools up three
flights of stairs, the cords were strung, the sawhorses set up, and I was
leaning on my knees, panting, trying to catch my breath. He was down on
one knee, studying the layout problem.
Then he looked up, looked at me, and demanded "Well? Are you standing
where you can see?"
As usual, I was standing in the wrong place, but the message was clear.
He wasn't going to teach me shit, but I could learn if I could figure out
where to stand, and how to watch.
A week or so later, I got the ultimate compliment out of him. He told me
that if I kept up, at the end of each day, he would allow me one
question, as long as the floor was swept, and I kept my mouth shut all
day. The first day, I wanted to discuss the two form systems we had been
using, and find out why sometimes we used one, and sometimes the other.
So at the end of the day, he admitted that I could have a question that
day, and I asked "Is one of these form systems better than the other,
under certain circumstances?"
He said "Yes.", and turned around, and left. The day was over, and my
question was answered.
Shit. Not the discussion I had hoped to start.
Then it occured to me that that wasn't the question I had meant to ask,
and life got better.
I started thinking about the question I was going to ask at the end of
the day, and I started re-phrasing it, and examining it to make sure that
it was really the question I wanted to ask, and I started doing that all
day, every day.
In short, I started paying attention, and thinking very critically and
hard about what I was seeing, and I started looking for answers. Then I
went back over the question, to see if re-phrasing it would answer it, as
frequently turned out to be the case. Many, many questions answered
themselves, as I examined the evidence in front of me.
I still think he was the journeyman I learned the most from, in spite of
the fact that I don't think he spoke more than 100 words as my instructor.
I don't believe learning requires discussion, but I am firmly convinced
that learning requires desire, discipline, and drive, all on the part of
the student. Learning also requires a teacher who has two traits. One, he
must know his subject thoroughly, and two, he must be williing to
tolerate the presence of a student. If the student has the drive and
desire, being allowed to be present will be enough.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of blind repetition. Sometimes, on the
223rd brace, as you install it, you suddenly see why it's done that way,
or you see why it can't be done another way, and the light comes on,
learning has happened.
I don't see a reason why WKPP should be different. I don't see a reason
why they would want to answer inane questions, sloppily phrased, from
people who might or might not respect their answer.
I *certainly* don't see a reason why they would want to defend themselves
to such people. (And now, being a J-man myself, I can see how much fun it
is to tie offensive apprentie in tight little knots.)
It's easy, however, to learn from them.
Shut up, re-arrange your cotton, listen, and watch.
Since this is "Learning 101", I'll go further.
Re-arranging one's cotton is accomplished by taking it out of your ears,
and stuffing it in your mouth.
You remove it from your ears to clear them, so you can hear better.
You stuff it in your mouth because since you're not going to have
anything to say, it won't be in the way there, and it may prevent you
from saying something you didn't want to.
Can I have my crown back, now, Jimmy?
"C'mon, you sons of bitches, you want to live forever?"
-First Sergeant Dan Daley
"Who wants to live forever?"
-Freddie Mercury
"I swear, I'm going to live forever"
-Jon Bon Jovi
--
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