'see it from the pupil's viewpoint'. Precisely, and who better to do that than somebody who has just gone through that?

But seriously I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. As a teacher with nearly 50 years experience in teaching many subjects I have seen people with nearly the same amount of experience be very poor teachers, and some new teachers who are very good at communicating with pupils. Of course the reverse can be true. There are many sides to being a good teacher.