Teachers exist to make learning easier and more predicable. And learning happens differently for everyone. The differences might be small, but they are significant. No two students learn identically, and for every student, there is a different ideal way to present information.

So why do we squander uniqueness? Why should we assume that everybody will learn the same way?

Suppose for a second that there were enough teachers for everyone to have an individual tutor. Every tutor would watch their student’s learning style, and give them learning material at the appropriate time. It might not take all of the tutor’s time, since the student will often be reading books or doing exercises. However this is prohibitively time consuming in public schools.

For tutors to succeed, what do they need to do?

Let’s first see what success looks like.

Ideally, students would chose to learn everything. Education would not only not be coerced, it would be entirely voluntary. If students chose every lesson that they are taking, then there would be many fewer concerns about motivation. Every student would be demonstrably motivated in what they are learning.

Ideally, every student would create things with their knowledge. If every students’ projects could be used to demonstrate their understanding, there would be no need for inherently artificial testing.

These are ideal circumstances, and one should not waste any time attempting to achieve them entirely, but only spend time figuring out how to get close.

If tutors had recently learned the material the students are learning, then the tutor would be able to remember problem points. The tutor could guide the student in seeking out information, using their knowledge of the topic to create the best experience for everyone.

If tutors had recently completed a project demonstrating knowledge of the material the students are learning, then they could suggest ideas and approaches that worked for them, as well as ideas that they wanted to explore but could not get around to.

Students who just finished the lesson would make ideal tutors.

They know the specific information, and are presumably applying what they have learned to learn new things, so as well as the aforementioned benefits, more advanced students could also offer a taste of what this information unlocks. In addition, the advanced students can practice teaching and presenting information, extremely valuable skills.

If we give students less learning time and more teaching time, what do we lose?

Students would be explicitly learning for fewer hours. They would have less time to work on their learning. This is a trade-off.

But in the time spent teaching, students would be solidifying their knowledge. If every student needs to understand the foundations of their knowledge, then students would understand their current knowledge more. They would have to review less, and their tutors could assume a detailed understanding of prior knowledge, since all of the students would have taught it themselves.

I believe that teaching would be tremendously valuable to students.

In both the corporate world and the research world, most people are expected to learn new skills autonomously, with help from their immediate supervisors or colleagues. These institutions do use classroom teaching, but it is most often for safety skills, certifications, or other similar skills. Anyone who has sat through an interminable safety video on their first day of a new job knows what I’m talking about.

Do schools teach certifications or skills? We should want them to teach skills, and the best way to teach skills is through mentoring.

Many people complain about how schools ignore “soft skills”. If every student is a tutor, they would be learning soft skills with every hard skill they teach.

So what should teachers do in this brave new world of mentoring?

Mostly advise, plan, and help students with their learning and projects.

Everybody will always be teaching, the teacher would be supervising a class, planning appointments between mentors and students, deciding which students should mentor what, and maintaining classroom discipline. Teachers would also prepare lesson plans and other materials that student tutors could use to teach.

Teachers are necessary because the students are immature. Adults mentor and learn by themselves just fine, but kids and teenagers need help with organization and planning in their learning, and the teachers would help them with this.

Teachers would be expert event organizers and planners, facilitating learning and giving children the best possible environment in which to educate themselves.

Kids learn and teach, and adults help. This ideal is achievable.