Instructors who yell for no reason

[gcarter]

Wow. There is a word that comes to mind that involves slowly falling precipitation....

Exactly. I should have finished my thought, though.

The point is, reinforcing what Wookie wrote, some souls are just so sensitive that any form of raised voice or criticism, regardless of purpose or intent, is seen as a personal attack.

So once again, context matters.

 

[gcarter]

Why was the original post deleted? I thought it provoked some excellent discussion with some interesting viewpoints?

If I were a betting man, likely because she intended to keep the conversation anonymous as to the "offending party", but with the magic of the web, he was identified... and it has led to criticism...

 

[RainPilot]

That was a self-edit by the OP.

I quoted the post at the end of my post here #22.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've sometimes been accused of yelling, when it's just that I have a naturally loud voice. I think a lot of times it boils down to perception and expectation ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[SeaHorse81]

I know an instructor with a naturally loud voice who ends up yelling (volume-wise) at the pool all the time. But because of the things he's saying (all useful, friendly, supportive) and his facial expressions and body language (friendly, supportive), I don't think anyone has ever felt "yelled at." It's about so much more than volume.

 

[Cert1967]

Sure would be interesting to hear from the "Two people" who took the course.


Marie13 said: ↑

• Note: this has absolutely nothing to do with my instructors or anyone else at my shop.
  
  I am deliberately being vague as to specific instructor as I'm addressing the teaching philosophy/mindset, not this exact instructor.
  
  Two people I know have taken a class with a well-known tech instructor. I was told that if you weren't diving perfectly, you were yelled at. Divers were not doing anything dangerous, just not exactly on spot.
  
  One of these people was urging me to take this class from this specific instructor, but once I heard how instructor acted towards students, I knew this was not an instructor I wanted to learn under. Instructors I've taken OW/Advanced/Rescue from are tough, but patient and encouraging. Being chewed out does not happen unless you have done something dangerous, and even then, it is done privately and not in front of the entire class. I have observed that myself.
  
  As a diver who has struggled with some things, I find the prospect of being yelled at when one is trying hard, but struggling to get something, to be very stressful and extremely unhelpful. Such has happened to me in non-diving situations. I have walked out in those incidents after giving said non-diving instructors a very large piece of my mind.
  
  When someone is investigating instructors, I wonder how many people actually ask about the teaching style? And why do some instructors think yelling at students without good cause is an effective way to motivate them?
  
  I specifically chose my SM instructor (also teaches ITT, AN/DP, as well as OW and Nitrox) based on teaching style (took nitrox from same instructor) - very tough, but patient and no yelling (and awesome sense of humor).

 

[northernone]

That was a self-edit by the OP.

I quoted the post at the end of my post here #22.

Nice it was immortalized in a quote. After other users have contributed to a thread, deleting the initial post can sabotage the context of the resulting community discussion.

A few thoughts... The majority of my dive training takes place in an environment were no one can yell effectively. Underwater.

I'm a civilian, and a quiet one at that. I've learned tons from two former military divers who had the stereotypical drill sergeant approach to passing on knowledge. If someone wants baby coddling it would be a bad fit.

In regards to the initial interaction that spawned this thread, I too am curious what the actual students who loved the training so much felt about the "yelling for no reason". Perhaps from an outside perspective not understanding what was actually going on can cloud our judgement.

Deciding if an instructor is a good fit involves for me, speaking to former students, and a conversation with the instructor themselves. I am willing to learn from a variety of teaching styles as I want a rounded exposure in my training. There are good instructors in all flavours.


Regards,
Cameron

 

[boulderjohn]

A few thoughts... The majority of my dive training takes place in an environment were no one can yell effectively. Underwater.

There is a cave instructor who is famed for being able to yell and curse articulately under water.

 

[The Chairman]

There was one class where I was accused of yelling.

Actually, I get accused of yelling from time to time, mostly because I am somewhat hard of hearing. People are convinced that I'm upset, but HOH people often talk louder than others as a compensation.

 

[northernone]

There is a cave instructor who is famed for being able to yell and curse articulately under water.

I need to get out more.

... Imagine my surprise with my first rebreather instructor!