Remember When You Didn't Know

I've been writing and telling stories for a long time. I've studied English in terms of its grammar, syntax, spelling, and history. I know so much about this language, both mechanically and artistically, that I could probably write about it every day of the rest of my life and not run out of ideas.

You know what's hard, though? Remembering what it was like to not have this knowledge. There is so much to me that seems obvious, but it's only obvious because I've dedicated so much of my life to knowing and remembering it. There was a great deal of time when these random bits of information were not only not obvious, but completely unknown to me.

I try to remind myself of some of the difficulties I've had over the years: words with confusing spellings, phrases whose words I never thought about, remembering all the different rules for all the different punctuations, etc. There was a lot. And I didn't always have great teachers to guide me. I recognize that most of my desire to learn these things was internal. It simply was something I was naturally passionate about.

On that note, I do recognize that not everybody has the same passion. I shouldn't expect everybody to know as much as I do and I shouldn't fault people for not knowing it. It's a nasty assumption people often make with anything they know a lot about.

Always try to remember when you didn't know so much. It's a good way to keep you humble, and it can remind you of exactly how difficult the road to knowledge can be, and how much experience you have accumulated since those days. If you ever plan on being a teacher of these things, it is essential to know what your students are going through, to be able to relate to them, and to show them how to get through to the next level.