“A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself.” – Bruce Lee
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Strictly speaking, education and instruction are mutually exclusive. You instruct soldiers. You teach students. An instructor lays down rules to be obeyed; a teacher strews ideas to be discussed. Instructions prescribe; education provokes. Instruction is regimentation; education is liberation.
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The name you give something does not necessarily affect its nature (this is everywhere in karate). Fundamental to the notion of “instruction” is the doctrine that students must believe what teachers (or instructors) say. Fundamental to education is that students should question, challenge and disassemble it.
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Mostly, the two words are largely used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Teaching imparts knowledge and instructing imparts skills. Therefore a teacher is one who teaches you about a subject and helps you reach understanding. An instructor is one who instructs you on how to accomplish a task. In reality, quality learning experiences are not simply one or the other, they are a blend of the two.
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It’s not easy to find a wise and knowledgeable teacher who understands his art in depth, someone who will look out for you and guide you in the right direction. But we can learn from those who have gone before us. If you find someone who has the results you want, then you need to do what they are doing.
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“A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” – Zig Ziglar
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Listen intently. Don’t just hear the words and syllables—listen so you can understand and relate. Listen to learn. We are here to learn and grow.
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Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
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As we instruct or teach others, we must be reminded that we need our students to question for themselves. To find the “truth” (本当 honto) for themselves. We are not instructing soldiers to blindly follow in our own image, barking orders at them to “move out”. …….
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“A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence.” – Bruce Lee
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Are you an instructor, a teacher, both, or something else? 
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