I had a humbling experience this week while trying to build a “Simple DC Motor”. The goal of the project was to make a loop of wire spin, using a magnet and a battery. It required just a few parts, and could be done in a few steps.

I come to my Maker practice with a background in the arts, not engineering. And being a girl (who didn’t have mechanically inclined parents), no one was going out of their way to show me the basics of this stuff when I was a kid.

Still, I thought, “I can handle this!” Simple!

That go-getter attitude slowly (Who am I kidding? QUICKLY.) wilted over the several hours of tinkering that followed. Everything seemed to be just a little bit off. This project was about precision, which is not my strong point. I kept thinking with a little more tweeking it would work, and my copper wire coil would spin. It would become clear to me what the issues had been, and I would incorporate the motor into a future project, as planned.

Well, none of that happened. It never worked. I became frustrated, and my rational, analytical, problem solving brain quickly gave way to my pissed off, irrational, lizard brain. I kept thinking, “But the instructions look so simple, why can’t I do this?!”

After stepping away for a bit, I realized that’s probably exactly how my students often feel, as I’m prodding and encouraging, telling them they are almost there. Just one simple step away from success. It’s easy to forget how frustrating or mystifying a process that you’ve come to know well, can be for others. And while it’s important to encourage and cheerlead, it’s just as important to maintain perspective, and acknowledge how challenging things can be.

So keep putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. Try things out that are new and frustrating, and do it consistently.

Maintain your perspective as a learner.