Writing to Teach
It may sound a bit meta at this point of development in regard to this website (after all, it started as a way to share my current learning in the tech field), but I think this is a useful stratagem in enabling others to do the same. My aim is to pull back the curtain and show how the sausage is made, so to say. We will focus on the method and format I try to use when writing here such that you may be able to do the same.
What are we doing?
In theory, in taking pen to paper, or in this case, keyboard to screen, we are passing a torch, conveying a skill gained to a learner come behind us. Keeping in mind that acquiring a singular skill (learning) plays part of a grander mosaic called mastery, we the teachers all too often overdo it when imparting what should be a nugget-sized soundbite. We (myself very much so included) forget that education is i+1, not plus everything-all-at-once.
The curse of knowledge erases our collective memories of the burden learning places on students. We bite off too much for them to chew, swallow, and digest.
What should we be doing?
Well, if you have known me for any time at all, you know that I have a propensity to be a touch (possibly understated for effect) verbose in my output. We need to keep it concise.
Concise does not mean shallow. It means cutting the fluff, giving one idea room to breathe before introducing the next. Think of it like serving a tasting menu instead of dumping the entire pantry on the table. Each dish has a purpose, a sequence, and a chance to be appreciated before the next one arrives.
That’s where writing to teach shines. When we write with the learner in mind, we are forced to distill, to prioritize, to make trade-offs. It is an act of empathy as much as it is an act of explanation. And the funny thing? You end up learning more yourself. The act of teaching locks in the lesson for the teacher better than almost anything else.
So, what do we do with this?
We write like someone will actually try to follow our steps (because they might).
We trim the fat, we break things down, and we accept that we will never say everything there is to say in a single post—nor should we.
Writing to teach is not just about sharing what we know. It’s about making the path a little clearer for whoever comes next. And if we do it right, we leave them just enough light to take one more step. No more, no less.
If you’ve learned something recently, try writing it down—not for yourself, but for the version of you who didn’t know it yet. Then hit publish. Someone out there is just one well-written paragraph away from their own aha moment. Who knows, you might be the one holding the torch.
