Posts tagged diy

I was in the second grade when I was taught how to write instructions. It was quite the lesson actually. I remember it quite well, and think of it often. The assignment was to write out directions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I remember thinking I was so clever and the assignment was going to be super easy. When it was due, the teacher had a table set up in the front of the classroom and to the side, on her podium, were all the necessary tools to make a pb&j, napkins, bread, peanut butter, jelly (various sorts for the detail oriented students), knife. We all turned in out instructions to the teacher, and she called us one at a time to go in front of the class and follow our instructions.  Mine went something like this:

Get out bread, peanut butter, and jelly and a napkin. Place two slices of bread on the napkin one next to the other. Spread the peanut butter…

and here I went to grab a knife, and my teacher stopped me. My instructions did not call for a knife. So that is where my presentation ended. 2 pieces of bread on a napkin.

Many kids didn’t even get that far. They just assumed you knew there was peanut butter, jelly and bread. One kid forgot to separate the slices of bread, so it was bread, bread, peanut butter and jelly. Only one person in the whole class got a perfect PB&J. 

The reason I bring up this somewhat odd lesson is because I wish I could present it to my teachers. Make them write directions and try to follow them. I don’t think any of them would remember to note the materials needed. Architecture school involves a lot of figuring out. I think it would be infinitely easier if the teachers could explain things correctly the first time, instead of at each desk crit differently throughout the duration of the assignment.