Aw, shucks, guys!
I was just thinking about Steve Lewis in the shower. No, not in that way, pervs! I was thinking about the SDI/TDI instructor crossover I did with Steve years ago and how Steve said something that changed my entire approach to teaching. Steve remarked, "As instructors, it is our job to make other people's underwater dreams come true." Coming from a GUE tech background, I realized that many of those who entered DIR training became too focused on attaining perfection. Perfection not only became the enemy of the good, but the quest for perfection of skills often ended up stealing their dreams of diving and robbed them of the balance of knowledge and experience as too much time was spent hovering on training platforms to look good. The instructors didn't try to encourage balance because the students became swimming billboards of instructor prowess. Many years of training were front loaded before the divers would be able to find their way to the fun. I've tried to put safety first, fun second, and then balance the rest so the diver feels qualified and worthy of doing the types of dives they want to do. A third of one's diving time should be about fun, a third about practice, and a third about experiencing new things such as new courses, pushing one's comfort zone, or doing projects, finding new sites, or learning to use new toys to keep the dreams alive and create new goals.
Wah, PM me or call the number on my website and let's chat! I've got several intro to tech, advanced nitrox, and trimix courses scheduled in the next couple months.
