mhm993

Green, for several reasons.
I've instructed about a dozen days. I now recognize some of the recurrent student mistakes--abrupt turn in's, not unwinding the wheel, tentative pedals, lack of a game plan, etc. As a newer instructor, I'm learning to recognize these issues and learning an effective vocabulary for each situation. I'm comfortable that I'm perfecting my basic instructing skills at the same time that my students are perfecting their basic skills. And sure it helped that my green students' slower speed gave me some breathing room in the right seat.

It's that "consciously competent" stuff. We know that after drivers master the basics with their hands, feet, and butts and eyes, they have more time and "brain focus" to work on the finer points. I'm finding the same with instructing. I think I was better able to work with my recent, very talented blue student because my instructing skills are becoming somewhat second nature, and I had more focus for his driving vs my instructing.

mike1111

As a new instructor I agree with green.
While instructing for the second time I took over a blue student for the last session from a seasoned instructor which had to leave early, after the session I looked at previous instructor's notes and everything I told student he needed to work on was written down almost word for word. This would be a good way to make sure all instructors are on same page. The following day we compared notes and it really helped to get the other instructors perspective. This is going to make me a better instructor.
Although I agree with green I was not intimidated by having a blue student.
To add on the second day I got a third student which wanted to have a morning check out ride to solo and I was able to convey to him he was not ready , and to show him better down shifting heel and toe technique he was not using. So he requested I work with him the rest of the day and he had a great time and so did I.
To sum it up as a new instructor It would be great to somehow switch students for last session and compare notes, I think this would keep us more unified.

sbelles

LOL

My first time instructing after I took the National course I was asked, by another instructor to take a ride with his blue student to sign off on letting him solo in blue. I had run in advanced solo groups for a few years so I knew what was required for the student to run alone safely in the blue group but it didn't occur to me at the time that I might not be qualified to make that decision. Yes, I passed him.

I'll go with the majority here. In general green students are a better pairing for new instructors for a number of reasons.

1. The speeds are lower so an inexperiened instructor is less likely to get his student in trouble.
2. It takes some time for your senses, including your butt to learn to read what the car is doing from the right seat. It's a little easier with green students since their inputs aren't as subtle.
3. Blue students need more advanced instruction. The instructor may or may not be up to it.

993inNC

Couldn't have said it better

+1

mike1111

I agree 100% with learning how to communicate effectively. I found myself thinking of something and before I could put it in the right words we were two turns up. I am sure it will take a while for it to become second nature.

sig_a

From a blue student's point of view, the older and more experienced the instructor, the better coaching I receive. That being the case, a new instructor coupled with a new student could be worse than no instructor at all. Green instructors should be matched with blue students or above, and the most experienced instructors should be matched with all green students. It makes no sense to have no experience in both left and right seats.

Darren

My first ever student was an ex-racer, whose license was pulled, because he rolled too many times in races He told me that "I'm not going to lie, I've rolled the car before" "Ok, have you rolled more than once?" "Yes"

Not my suggestion for first experience. He was ok and listened well, but he'd forget to brake. He also decided for T10 at Summit Point to left foot brake (without telling me) -- only he forgot where his feet were when he went to shift into 5th at Start/Finish. He braked full force, the car went sideways, if it was ANYTHING other than a Miata I bet we'd have been on the roof!

It's hard to be ahead of a more advanced student, and even then they can do something totally unexpected and you have to know what to say to not crash. A green student has so much going on -- a first timer isn't looking at flags for example! They can't there is just too much to watch. It's super easy to instruct green because its slower and the instruction is so basic!

Blue, esp in our region, can be VERY VERY fast. Blue and White speeds are very close to the same.

So I agree Green -- but at the same time a new instructor needs to be assertive so that they are in control, so it shouldn't matter. If the instructor is uncomfortable I'm sure someone would be willing to trade.