I aimed to enter a music college as a pianist until my senior year of high school (though I eventually gave up)<\/span>. Even when faced with difficult pieces that made me think, “there\u2019s no way my fingers can move like this, it\u2019s impossible<\/strong>,” if I kept practicing, there were moments when suddenly I could play smoothly.<\/p>\n A lot of time has passed since then, and now I\u2019m experiencing that very same phenomenon with driving a manual car: “one day, you suddenly just get it<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n One day, I suddenly became able to focus on both the accelerator and clutch pedals; another day, I could smoothly shift gears while paying attention to RPM and speed; another day, I grasped the feeling of gently revving the engine…<\/p>\n Those moments always come out of nowhere, and I can\u2019t help but grin while driving, thinking, “Wow! Somehow, I can do it now!<\/strong>” But at the same time, I also think:<\/p>\n “Why couldn\u2019t I do something so simple until now…?”<\/p>\n It\u2019s like learning to ride a bike\u2014you fall many times before you can ride, but once you can, you can\u2019t understand how you ever couldn\u2019t. The same goes for manual driving. Even though I struggled for three years, now that I can drive, I can\u2019t understand why I was so afraid and had such a mental block back then (laughs)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Recently, while chatting with some moms from my daughter\u2019s kindergarten, the topic of me driving a manual car came up, and one mom said:<\/p>\n “Wow, that\u2019s amazing! I want you to teach me too.”<\/p>\n I knew she was just joking in the moment and didn\u2019t really mean it (laughs), but it made me think: if I were to teach someone who\u2019s a beginner at manual driving (maybe even my daughters someday)<\/span>, how would I do it?<\/p>\n It\u2019s often said that “teaching others is many times harder than learning yourself<\/strong>,” and I really feel that\u2019s true for manual driving too.<\/p>\n After thinking it over, I realized that for me, the biggest hurdle in learning manual driving was the mental block of “I can\u2019t do this, it\u2019s impossible, I\u2019m scared<\/strong>.” The technical skills came later; first, I had to overcome the mental barrier.<\/p>\n So, if I were the instructor, the first things I\u2019d focus on would be:<\/p>\n \u2460 Creating an atmosphere where failure is okay When I couldn\u2019t drive a manual yet, I was extremely afraid of failing\u2014worrying things like “What if I stall at a red light and can\u2019t get going?<\/strong>” or “What if I roll backward on a hill?<\/strong>” So I\u2019d create a supportive atmosphere by saying things like:<\/p>\n “It\u2019s okay, it\u2019s okay! If you stall, just stay calm and try again. If it\u2019s really tough, just turn on your hazard lights and other drivers will give you space.” This way, I\u2019d make sure the learner feels safe and comfortable. (It might be a bit inconvenient for drivers behind, but everyone goes through this, so please be understanding.)<\/span><\/p>\n Then, during each practice session, there\u2019s always some small progress or improvement, and I\u2019d praise that. For example, “The car was shaky and almost stalled when starting, but now it\u2019s a bit smoother<\/strong>” or “You were so tense before, but now you\u2019re driving with a bit more relaxed shoulders<\/strong>.” I\u2019d celebrate these tiny steps with “You\u2019re doing better than before!<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n By repeating this, the number of “I did it!<\/strong>” moments grows, building confidence and gradually easing the fear of driving. The technical stuff comes later\u2014once you think “I can do this!<\/strong>,” you\u2019ll naturally want to keep practicing.<\/p>\n Thinking back, my instructor (my husband) isn\u2019t the type to praise much, as far as I know. Every time we practiced manual driving, he\u2019d say things like:<\/p>\n “What\u2019s wrong? Why can\u2019t you do something so simple!?” Hearing that repeatedly made me lose confidence and feel down. (He apparently knows he\u2019s not cut out for teaching people… lol)<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back, I want to tell myself, “From that state, you\u2019ve worked so hard and managed to drive a manual car\u2014really impressive!<\/strong>” (laughs).<\/p>\n That said, before teaching others, I need to improve my own driving skills first, so I\u2019ll keep working hard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u30de\u30cb\u30e5\u30a2\u30eb\u904b\u8ee2\u521d\u5fc3\u8005\u306e\u4eba\u306b\u3001\u79c1\u304c\u904b\u8ee2\u3092\u6559\u3048\u308b\u306a\u3089\u3001\u307e\u305a\u306f\u3053\u306e\u70b9\u3092\u6291\u3048\u308b\u304b\u306a\u3041\u3068\u3044\u3046\u3053\u3068\u3092\u8003\u3048\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u3082\u3068\u3082\u3068MT\u904b\u8ee2\u306b\u82e6\u624b\u610f\u8b58\u304c\u3042\u308a\u3001\u9577\u5e74\u904b\u8ee2\u3067\u304d\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f\u304b\u3089\u3053\u305d\u306e\u8996\u70b9\u3067\u66f8\u3044\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":14944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=14930"},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0292-800x533.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen Teaching Beginner Drivers<\/h3>\n
\n\u2461 Praising small improvements<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0241-800x533.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n“Even if you fail, the car won\u2019t run away\u2014it\u2019ll just stop, so no worries.”<\/p>\nMy Own Manual Practice Experience<\/h3>\n
\n“What\u2019s going on? You\u2019re worse than before!”
\n“Even if you get the 320i delivered, you\u2019ll probably just say, ‘No way! I can\u2019t do this! I want to buy back the Golf!<\/strong>‘ or something, right? (lol)”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0123-800x600.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n