mrpink essays

On the Value of Teachers

Sometimes we can’t see what we’re really doing.We need an external gaze to help us adjust our course.That’s what this piece is about — and the role of good teachers.

A good teacher doesn’t necessarily have to be better than you at what they teach — though they often are. What matters, strange as it may sound, is that they’re not you. They can see you from the outside, with a more detached and objective perspective. They don’t share all your assumptions or worldviews. What feels self-evident to you — like the idea that something should be done a certain way — may look entirely different to them. And that difference can be deeply enriching.

They also complement us because we don’t know what we don’t know.A good teacher can spot knowledge gaps we can’t see and help us fill them. This is easiest to notice in physical activities, where we think we have an accurate perception of what our body is doing… but we don’t.

Thanks to proprioception, we feel like our back is straight or our arms are parallel — when in fact they aren’t. From the inside, it’s hard to detect. You could spend a lifetime repeating the same mistake without ever realizing it.

In fact, if we believe we’re doing it right, we reinforce that mental image and learn incorrectly — consolidating a false perception. In these cases, the teacher provides objectivity and feedback, allowing us to improve our own perception over time.

A few years ago, I learned this lesson firsthand.I had a skateboarding accident and completely fractured my left humerus — a clean, full break that split my arm in two, almost an open fracture.

When I got up from the ground, I turned my head left — to where my mind told me my arm should be — but it wasn’t there.Proprioception (no pun intended) had failed too.The mental “map” my brain used to locate my body no longer matched reality.

Another great gift of good teachers is that they help us regain confidence. They provide the reassurance that we’re on the right path. Even when we continue on our own, their guidance leaves a mark — a compass that keeps us oriented.

But for that to happen, the teacher must first earn our trust.
It’s not enough for someone to say “do it this way.” They must be ethical, empathetic, capable of understanding what we’re going through, and able to communicate in a way that resonates with us.

A good teacher doesn’t treat everyone the same.They treat each person according to their needs — their story, worldview, and way of learning.

And there’s something else that’s crucial: they help us sustain our commitments. The famous accountability. Just knowing that someone will ask if we did what we said we’d do can radically change our behavior. That external gaze — neither invasive nor punitive — can make all the difference.

Sometimes, we don’t even need a real person for this to work.
In my case, for example, I’m taking a guitar course where the “teacher” is just a recorded video. There’s no one on the other side, no control. But the simple fact of signing up — having a structure of weekly exercises — creates a sense of commitment that drives me to keep going.

Of course, some people need a more active presence to accompany and correct them in person. But for many, it’s enough to make a concrete decision, say it out loud, share it with someone else, and have a visible plan.That alone can be enough to sustain progress.

At MrPink, from a place of humility, we hope to build honest and trusting relationships with the entrepreneurs we invest in.We understand that our role is not to know more, but to see from the outside — to bring perspective, help maintain direction, and offer genuine support.

And hopefully, within our abilities, to be that presence that accompanies with trust — so that each founder can advance from their own strength and build their startup in the best possible way.