The Rock and the Hammer

Imagine two cubicles, side by side. The walls are too high for the occupants to see each other, but they can easily communicate. Ray and Jerry are each asked to enter a cubicle and hammer a nail into a board and they've been told they'll be tested on their ability to complete the task.

Inside his cubicle Ray finds a nail, board and hammer while, Jerry has been given a nail, board and a rock.   As Jerry is still looking at the rock and thinking about how to best use it, he can hear Ray hammering away.   After a few solid hits, Ray confidently states, "Well, that was easy.   I'm finished.   How are you doing?"

Encouraged, Jerry strikes the nail with the rock.   "This is really hard," he muttered.   "I've bent the nail and smashed my finger!   I don't think I can do this."

"Come on," Ray says.   "What's so hard about hammering a nail into a board?   Keep your eye on the nail. You'll get it if you just concentrate."

"I am!" replies Jerry. "I'm not as smart as you are. Give me a break. I need more time or a nail with a bigger head or something."

Ray thinks Jerry isn't trying very hard or just not capable.   Jerry thinks that Ray is really smart to figure it out so easily. What Jerry doesn't know is that Ray has a hammer. On the other hand, Ray didn't know that Jerry is trying to accomplish the task with a rock that is clumsy to handle and has an uneven surface.  

Jerry will be expected to keep trying and trying and trying.   At some point, it will become obvious that he will need special help. This comes in the form of a resource class, where he will be given fewer nails to pound and be told that bent nails are acceptable. He may even be given gloves and goggles for protection. The instructor will try to make Jerry feel comfortable with whatever he can produce. He will be told to accept his limitations, he just isn't going to be good at pounding nails into a board.  

In frustration, Jerry finally enrolls in a private hammering school where he is told that everyone hammers differently. This school teaches Jerry to hammer at his own pace using whatever method is the most comfortable for him. Jerry slowly improves. He learns to find the flattest place on the rock, to use nails with bigger heads and to look for cracks in the board that will making the pounding easier.

Next, Jerry tries tutoring. He is given diagnostic tests to determine his level of ability.   He is assured he can make a year's gain in three month's time. He is taught additional compensations, to use different size rocks and to work in well-lighted areas. And, of course, he is expected to practice and practice and practice. Even after all this, Jerry is not very good at pounding nails in boards. His self-esteem is in the basement.   "I just wish I was as smart as Ray," Jerry sulks.  

Then one day, Jerry complains to an older cousin about how he hates pounding nails.   "I used to have the same problem," his cousin replied sympathetically.   "You did?"   Jerry exclaimed. "What happened?"  "Well," He began, "I went to a place called Learning Technics.  They explained that people who use rocks never become proficient at pounding nails.  They suggested that if I had the right tools, my performance would improve and hammering would become easier."

We all know that using the right tool makes the job much easier. Learning Technics can replace learning tools that aren't working with ones that will and change a person's abilities for a lifetime!

Click here to find out about our evaluation to see what kinds of tools you've been trying to use as a hammer.