Think of your first driving lesson. You’re sweaty, your heart is pounding and there’s one thing you’re more scared than everything else: gas! Now imagine you’re the person in the front seat without a steering wheel and you hope a complete n00b won’t just still kick your car into a ditch. It takes some impressive skills. It’s a lot of serious preparation. They aren’t just interested in how to parallel park or when to make a turn signal. They’re not just interested in how to parallel park or when to make a turn signal. One trip of mind, extreme patience, mind-reading reflexes. Those researching instructor qualifications can browse here to review available training resources.
The training process is very exhausting. You are given a big theory test, covering anything from bizarre traffic regulations to mechanics’ workings. No shortcuts are being taken. Without being able to master the rules of the road, you can’t pass them on. However, the fun starts when you get to putting it into practice. Learners spend hours and hours learning to manipulate a vehicle using the wrong side of the car.Learners have to learn how to manoeuvre the vehicle from the wrong side of the car for hours and hours. There’s a superpower you have to learn: keeping track at the same time of the mirrors, the road and the student’s nervous eyes.
A good instructor doesn’t just teach you to pass a test, she teaches you to survive the highway.
Getting a teenager accustomed to merging onto a busy four lane road requires a lot of communication. It’s not enough to say “watch out! That breeds panic. Rather, the instructor school trains its coaches to speak in calm and directive language. “Beware of blind spot, smooth drive, slide over.” It’s an art form. They are taught to read students’ body language, catching just in time when a student “freezes up” before turning that into a collision. It’s one of worlds of driving instructor and therapist all wrapped up in one.
No no let me get to the last obstacle. There are not enough words to describe the instructional ability test. The trainee has to demonstrate driving skills, and the examiner acts as a stubborn, stupid or tough student. The trainee is asked to correct his mistakes without creating a pileup. It is pure chaos and when you gotta be the one to lose your temper you lose. It is a practical test that sorts out the casual drivers from the fledglings on the road.
Once you can see that badge, you earn it. It is for all of us. The next time you see a student driver car bungling around at a green light, don’t honk. Give a little nod with the teacher in you. They’re shouldering it, person by person. They’re doing it very nervously.