> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://benskutnik.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Yet - URL: https://benskutnik.com/yet/ - Published: 2026-10-28T22:24:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T22:24:04.000Z - Description: I teach with scaffolding and coach by leading people into the struggle. Writing here puts me on the other end of both, still building the confidence to just do the thing. - Author: Ben Skutnik One of the hats I wear in my day-to-day is that of a coach. It’s not too far of a stretch from my main hat as an educator, outside of one subtle difference. As an educator, I am tasked with empowering individuals so they can arrive where they need to be in a fixed time frame. Usually that’s a semester. For the handful of students I directly advise, it’s the course of their undergraduate career. Whatever the span, the length is known and predetermined. With coaching, it’s still about empowering, but in this setting I am walking side-by-side with the individual. Still pursuing a known endpoint, but how we get there is far from predetermined. The map is not the territory, as they say. As an educator, I am trying to get students to follow the breadcrumbs... in the biz it’s called scaffolding. By providing certain prompts or hints and templating out lessons, the hope is to teach students how to learn, not just memorize. The risk we run is creating a dependency on scaffolding, so that when it’s removed, students haven’t built the requisite critical thinking and problem solving and still need help. The result is that the student can no longer make definitive statements. They’ll argue that every choice has merit rather than committing to the best one. This is the educational version of the lawnmower parent. With the best intentions, you remove the point at which students have to sit with struggle and work their way out of it. We may be teaching them all the knowledge they need, but confidence is lacking. Coaching, on the other hand, tends to lead clients into the struggle. Rather than teaching something new, coaches will ask clients to refine what they’re already doing. There may be some education along the way to fill small gaps, but for the most part it’s about executing simplicity to a higher degree. Baked into that is an inherent struggle, because if someone could effectively execute a simple task (e.g., eating within their means, working out three times a week), they wouldn’t need a coach. Coaches ask clients to build their own scaffolding, and the coach comes along for the ride to remind them to keep building. The client handles the friction while the coach places a supportive hand on their shoulder. The risk coaches run is creating a scenario where the dependency falls on that hand. Confidence, much like with teaching, isn’t easily coached. This makes starting a new skill extremely frustrating for me. Through both lenses, I know it just comes down to doing the thing. The best way to learn to ride a horse is to jump on. That’s all well and good for horse riding because the horse is there. With writing, I’m learning, the hard part is finding the horse. I couldn’t tell you how many thoughts I have through the day, but the thinking-out-loud part of this site is a struggle because I’ve yet to build the confidence. I can find my way there eventually, some days quicker than others. But I think the gravity of realizing my thoughts are being put out there (self-driven, obviously) for folks to read/judge/draw conclusions from is a little intimidating. In several areas of my life I have no shortage of confidence. But when it comes to clacking a keyboard and posting it to almost nobody (currently 10 subscribers), I find myself worrying whether it’s complete and clean and perfect. Maybe the worry is the point. Maybe that worry is born out of knowing the thoughts are incomplete. I thought I would simply sit down and go without stopping. When I’ve written guest blogs on the topics I teach or coach others on, that’s been the protocol. Have an idea, write 500 to 800 words, and send it. This self-reflective writing is riddled with pauses, re-reads, and rewrites. As much as I want to think it’s a stream of consciousness, it’s not. Yet. ## Get new posts by email One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Emails go out Sundays. --- *This is free to read. If you'd like to help cover the costs of the site and the apps, there's a [tip jar](https://ko-fi.com/benskutnik?ref=benskutnik.com).*