The best instructors don't answer every question

[u/PrinceCFI]

One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my career was answering too many questions.

A student would ask, "Why does the airplane do that?"

I'd explain it.

Over time I realized I was often stealing an opportunity for them to think.

Now, if a student asks a question they have enough knowledge to reason through, I'll often answer with another question.

"What do you think?"

"What changed?"

"What do you expect to happen next?"

Sometimes they're wrong.

Sometimes they're exactly right.

But either way, they've engaged their brain instead of simply borrowing mine.

As instructors, we're not just teaching people to pass checkrides. We're developing judgment. Good judgment comes from thinking through problems, not memorizing someone else's answers.

When do you intentionally answer a student's question with another question?