Solo in Green at Driver Eds?
02-17-2008, 08:09 PM
#32
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Meanwhile, I know how some of you feel. I was at the track today and speaking to a DE person I have known for a few years. He always drives in Black and realized it may be time to give back and is thinking of being an instructor. Joining in the conversation was another person, who is a PCA instructor -- who knew how he felt. He was one who was a solo for more years than we can imagine - and his wife didn't want him to be in a passenger seat. With all obstacles out of his way, he became an instructor - and a really good one.
Nice having level headed folks around.
And I like your thoughts about - what's the rush? So, next time I have a conversation with this person - I think I'll use your line and see what kind of response I get. Thank you.
02-17-2008, 08:54 PM
#33
Three Wheelin'
Any non-instructor wanting to become a instructor to save on the entry fee, would not be the type of instructor I would want to be in the passenger seat.
My wife vehementently did not want me to instruct/she could deal with my driving on a race track, but not with having me sit in the passenger seat with someone who could very easily "outdrive" his talent. It took me a year to convince her about my desire to instruct and now she understands it and is patient with me when I come back and I start going on and on about how good this student was, or how I used this technique or that to instruct. Again, extremely rewarding....
My wife vehementently did not want me to instruct/she could deal with my driving on a race track, but not with having me sit in the passenger seat with someone who could very easily "outdrive" his talent. It took me a year to convince her about my desire to instruct and now she understands it and is patient with me when I come back and I start going on and on about how good this student was, or how I used this technique or that to instruct. Again, extremely rewarding....
02-18-2008, 09:31 AM
#34
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Just another perspective on the question of Green solo. Our club visits many different tracks. A relative novice may be able to negotiate one track after a few days of instructing but would you be able to count on them when they arrive at a new track that they have never driven? We (at NER) sometimes allow a green student to do a couple of solo runs but only in an environment where they are comfortable. At the next event we would give them an instructor. Only after they reach the Intermediate groups (which usually means 12+ days of insruction and several different instructors and a couple of different tracks) do we sign them off to be permanantly solo -- even then we actively encourage them to seek out an instructor whenever possible. Simply makes sense to me to balance the student's desire to do it all by him/herself and the obvious benefit of continued learning from an experienced driver.
Laurie
Laurie
