Practical lessons put things in perspective

A MOTHER wanted to pass on her cooking skills to her teenage daughter. So she bought a few cookbooks, and the girl pored over them for a few years without entering the kitchen. When the young woman decided that her knowledge was complete, she set out to cook a meal. Of course it was a disaster.

Unlike her, aspiring teachers undergo a brief training period before they are let loose to handle their chosen profession and carry out their responsibility.