You may have heard that a University of Georgia professor resigned on the spot when one of his students refused to wear a mask properly.

The professor, Irwin Bernstein, was a “retiree-rehire,” who had officially retired in 2011 but has been teaching on a part-time basis.

I can’t blame him for deciding, at 88 years old, that life is too short to argue with an undergraduate about masks. And I certainly can’t blame him for attempting to enforce a mask mandate in his classroom due to the ongoing threat of death.

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I know what it feels like to be an expert.

For years, I studied music—from the outside in, through learning classical charts, and from the inside out, figuring out songs by ear and writing my own.

However, I thought that the details would always elude me and I would have to build every song from the ground up, note by note, forever.

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Many experienced piano students come to me struggling with a technical problem I like to call The Claw.

Instead of dropping the weight of their arm into the key with a light bounce, they press into the bottom of the key forcefully, with a tensed finger and wrist.

It’s supposed to be like tapping an iPad; instead, it’s like trying to open a pickle jar. The result is a brittle, labored sound.

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“You’re going too fast. There are cars parked on both sides of the road.”

“I’m fine, I’m under the speed limit.”

Ugh, backseat drivers are the worst, aren’t they? But when it’s your mom and you are an unlicensed teenage driver, it behooves you to listen. Her feedback is not just pesky, controlling nonsense — it’s exactly what you need.

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Teachers and coaches have an advantage when it comes to personal and professional growth.

When you spend hours every day contributing to the growth of others, it leaves echoes. A useful residue.

You will hear your own voice in your head when you attempt to accomplish something similar to what you’re students have been working on. You’ll have no choice but to practice what you preach.

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