Following this thread with great interest...
It sounds like half the story is shaping up nicely. Should there not be an aligned "Student's Bill of Rights"? I don't think that it is fair to dump everything on the instructor. (I'm not an instructor and never ever will be.) I know where my mind was when my son and I began our first OW course. We were both flat-footed clueless pilgrims. Possibly it would be beneficial to start with more of a beginner's mindest than 'you are about to experience the underwater world and all its wonders'. It certainly would have been for us.
I'll start just to see if there is any interest in this approach.
Expectations:
You have the right to assume that your instructor is competent. Instructors are different, just like all the teachers that you have been exposed to. Different instructors have different styles toward attaining the same skills. If you are uncomfortable with the teaching style, you have the right to find a new instructor or a new agency. Just be sure to have a talk with your instructor before dumping him/her.
Upon successful completion, you will not be NAUI, PADI, GUE, or any other agency. You will be a diver trained by an instructor who IS one (or more) of the above.
This is a recreational pursuit. Nobody is making you do this and not everyone enjoys being underwater.
Dive instruction should be personally rewarding. Some people call this fun, but some parts of dive instruction just aren't all that much fun, more of a challenge. Overcoming the challenge and seeing your own progress is personally rewarding. Being a competent diver is great fun.
-thoughts?