How Far We've Come
My students in high school are currently building their own websites with HTML and CSS. They're learning the basics of structuring and styling their web pages on a subject they choose themselves.
During classes, I usually walk around the room to either answer questions or just look over students' shoulders to see where I can assist. Today, one of my students asked a question that required me to look into the code. After a couple of seconds, I spotted the issue and coached the student towards the solution by asking questions which the student answered.
After we solved the problem together, the student said something that surprised me a little bit.
"Wow, how did you spot the error so fast?"
Indeed, when you compare the speed at which I skim through code with a beginner, there's a major difference. The thing is, as we become more experienced with code (or anything else, really), we tend to forget what it's like to be at a beginner's level. We think our skills are just normal, when they're actually the result of many hours of practice.
This situation provided a valuable lesson for both the student and me. I could tell the student that I'm not any smarter than them, I've just had the opportunity to spend more time practicing. And it reminded me of how far I've come over all these years, something I can be (and am) proud of.