Rhone Man - the most challenging courses to teach are, indeed, often the beginner classes. Generally speaking.
But there are a lot of variables. Teaching OW to a student who has the right approach, is studious, pays attention, etc., actually can be quite easy, but not everybody gets it, a lot of folk are very nervous, and that's often where the hard work comes in - actually getting results, not the simple act of teaching. Any instructor can rattle through minimum standards, just like any maths teacher can work through algebra but getting people to understand and apply that learning makes the difference between an instructor and a great instructor (or math teacher) - finding the psychological block to learning and removing it is the art of teaching.
If the modular system of training is well taught and adhered to by the diver, then yes, technically, teaching more advanced courses should be easier, but given that I have seen potential instructor candidates arrive at my former school with only rudimentary buoyancy control and a complete lack of expertise in dive theory, sadly it's not always the case.
One of the most challenging teaching experiences of my career has been teaching DM physics. initially this was because I thought: "this is so simple, why don't YOU get it?" but I quickly adapted to the fact that not everybody enjoyed maths at school as much as I did (geek) and developed techniques to assist those who weren't so hot with solving equations.
Creativity, patience, a dab of amateur psychology and a sound knowledge of diving and dive theory, all required to be a good instructor. An attitude that something is beneath you smacks of arrogance, and above all, a lack of PASSION, which is a requirement to be a *really* good instructor.
DSDs - or specifically what we call the "Intro Dive" are often extremely challenging, because the customer has very little interest in learning to dive or get certified, but they want to try it out because it's available. For many it's a once in a lifetime experience, because they broke the bank coming on holiday in the first place, and will probably never be able to afford to learn to dive and take it up as a hobby. It has taken me hours to get people comfortable enough in the water that they can be hauled around the reef whilst I look after their buoyancy control, monitor their air, and even swim for them half the time... but the look of sheer delight on their faces after they come out of the water is worth the effort.
If an instructor considers that "beneath" them - well - hand them a spatula and send them off to McDonald's, because for sure they don't belong in the dive business.
Apologies for the long winded babble,
C.
But there are a lot of variables. Teaching OW to a student who has the right approach, is studious, pays attention, etc., actually can be quite easy, but not everybody gets it, a lot of folk are very nervous, and that's often where the hard work comes in - actually getting results, not the simple act of teaching. Any instructor can rattle through minimum standards, just like any maths teacher can work through algebra but getting people to understand and apply that learning makes the difference between an instructor and a great instructor (or math teacher) - finding the psychological block to learning and removing it is the art of teaching.
If the modular system of training is well taught and adhered to by the diver, then yes, technically, teaching more advanced courses should be easier, but given that I have seen potential instructor candidates arrive at my former school with only rudimentary buoyancy control and a complete lack of expertise in dive theory, sadly it's not always the case.
One of the most challenging teaching experiences of my career has been teaching DM physics. initially this was because I thought: "this is so simple, why don't YOU get it?" but I quickly adapted to the fact that not everybody enjoyed maths at school as much as I did (geek) and developed techniques to assist those who weren't so hot with solving equations.
Creativity, patience, a dab of amateur psychology and a sound knowledge of diving and dive theory, all required to be a good instructor. An attitude that something is beneath you smacks of arrogance, and above all, a lack of PASSION, which is a requirement to be a *really* good instructor.
DSDs - or specifically what we call the "Intro Dive" are often extremely challenging, because the customer has very little interest in learning to dive or get certified, but they want to try it out because it's available. For many it's a once in a lifetime experience, because they broke the bank coming on holiday in the first place, and will probably never be able to afford to learn to dive and take it up as a hobby. It has taken me hours to get people comfortable enough in the water that they can be hauled around the reef whilst I look after their buoyancy control, monitor their air, and even swim for them half the time... but the look of sheer delight on their faces after they come out of the water is worth the effort.
If an instructor considers that "beneath" them - well - hand them a spatula and send them off to McDonald's, because for sure they don't belong in the dive business.
Apologies for the long winded babble,
C.
