Teachers Lounge
Live from the Rust Belt Be a Giant: Be a Teacher by Josh Paufler
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f ya ain’t learning, yer losin’. Sounds like something Mater would say in a “Cars” movie, but it’s become my diecast racing mantra. With all the resources available, there’s no reason not to absorb as much knowledge as possible. The cars that are beating you every race were built by people with tons of experience. Experience doesn’t come easily so it’s important to soak up as much from those racers that are willing to share. While some like to maintain “trade secrets”, there are plenty of veterans out there looking to make the sport more competitive and help rookie racers. One such veteran is Robby Comeford from Diecast 64. As one of the innovators of adult diecast THE ROOKIE – Bob racing, Robby (played by Robby has seen it all. Comeford of Diecast 64 does his best to Recently, he learn what he can decided to about diecast racing. share his knowledge in a YouTube series he calls “The Rookie”. In “The Rookie”, Comeford plays a character named Bob who is just getting into diecast racing. The series follows Bob from picking out cars all the way to race day and beyond. He shares tips and tricks as he figures out how to make his cars faster. He also shares resources to get more information and links to buy recommended materials. This is a must watch series for any racer; veteran and rookie alike. 8 | Diecast Racing Report
But how does Robby make this information so accessible and easy to understand? The approach to teaching is much the same as raising a child. You must share the information in a way that keeps them excited to learn. Your job as an educator (or a parent) is to prepare your students for the task at hand. Robby uses this series as an introduction to diecast racing and, because of that, assumes the viewer knows absolutely nothing. With his wealth of knowledge, he could easily talk down to the viewer and just say “Do this and it goes fast”, as I’ve seen many veterans do. But, instead, he takes on the role of the viewer, acting just as excited to learn.
That excitement goes hand in hand with encouragement. Throughout the videos, Robby encourages the viewer to try new things and see what works best for them. I think it’s easy to find our own methods and assume “this is the way”. But, realistically, our way is one of numerous ways to do the same thing. When teaching someone, you need to recognize that they won’t learn in the same way you do. So, it’s important to encourage them to keep at it till they find their groove. It’s also important for us to keep learning. Never assume that you know it all. Continuing education, especially into adulthood helps us to grow, not only as builders, but also as people.
