History of Diver Training

[Diver0001]

 

[DCBC]

Then you would see what the real "majority" opinion is. I can edit the poll for you if you want to make it meaningful. As it is, the "majority" opinion has been carefully excluded.

Rob, the poll speaks for itself, or are you so quick to dismiss the vote of others?

 

[Diver0001]

Student A: "Wow! I have no idea how to do this! I will have to work pretty hard to figure it out, but if I put in the time, I'll get it."

Student F: "Wow! I have no idea how to do this! What's the use? Another failure looms on the horizon. I think I'll go play a video game. I'm pretty good at that."​

I had a very graphic demonstration of this once in high school. I got teamed up with a guy for an assignment who was a bit of a stoner (actually more than a bit) and flunked at everything. I knew him casually and thought he was cool enough but my heart skipped a beat when I heard I had to pair up with him because I thought I was going to get dragged down by him.

The project was to create some kind of physics experiment, the nature of which escapes me at the moment, but it was something to do with some Newtonian law. The experiment had to be original (not copied from a book) and "relatively" accurate.

The same afternoon we got the assignment I met with my new study mate and said to him, "look, I want to do well on this and you're going to need to buckle down and help me." to which he responded, "he'll just fail us anyway, he hates me."

To make a long story short, I made a deal with him. I'd go to the library and get some information about other experiments, we'd both read them and then meet to brainstorm and see where it went from there.

A week or two later we had settled on an idea and got down to building it. I found out in the process that the guy was actually quite clever and a lot better at building things than I was and lo and behold, our experiment worked (although it looked like something from scrap-heap challenge) and got results that were "relatively" convincing.

It was the first A he had ever gotten on anything.

After that he came to me and asked to make a deal. He said, "you get me through physics and next semester you take auto mechanics and I'll get you through that".

I took a lot of ribbing for going through auto mechanics being the nerd I was but I got through it! And he got a respectable grade in physics.

R..

 

[Diver0001]

Rob, the poll speaks for itself, or are you so quick to dismiss the vote of others?

Let me modify it and we'll see.

R..

 

[Scott L]

I think it would be an interesting experiment to just toss a new diver straight into an Essentials or Fundies class with no prior study and see how apt they are to learning the information presented to them and improving in their diving.

God help them if they draw the instructor l utilized...:shocked2:

 

[DCBC]

Wayne, why is it that you start a new thread on this topic roughly every month? I mean, how often do we have to discuss the same topic?

John, to be clear, you are NEVER required to comment on any thread that I write. It would appear from the survey (although not a large sampling) that there are many people who have differences of opinion on this topic.

I believe that any question poised on SB is a fair one. I did not even voice my opinion until late in the thread. Either way, be assured that I will not point out that you REPEATEDLY are predictable in your answers. After all you are only relating your opinion. Why am I not surprised that it doesn't change over time and that you repeat yourself over and over again in your answers? It is after all your prerogative.

 

[romad119]

Any thoughts of mine of going from DM to Instructor is more and more driven by my desire to add to the standards in what is taught. I'm only reaching 2 years of diving experience and already see things slipping as far as things that I think should be covered. Now I speak from a far less experienced position when it comes to the diving field than the 8 years I've been instructing Airmen how to control Close Air Support.

I do see parallels though when it comes to 'old school' vs 'new school'. Those that instruct elements of both always produce the best 'well rounded' individual. I always strive to add in as much as I can to the current syllabus and I HAVE always liked instructors who do the same when I am the student.

I'm still looking for that one dive mentor and in turn am looking to be that one mentor that a student has been searching for.

For every student looking for that special instructor, there are isntructors looking for those special students.

Be the instructor that challenges the students, be that student that challenges the instructor. Improvement is a two-way street.

 

[Scott L]

Just be thankful he did not jump start another deep air thread...:shocked2:

I would like to take a pause right now and ask a simple question to the OP.

Wayne, why is it that you start a new thread on this topic roughly every month? I mean, how often do we have to discuss the same topic? Have you ever looked deep into your soul and asked what is motivating you to do this?

I can only think of a few possible reasons.

1. You are hoping that you will get a different response. If so, wasn't it Einstein who said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is one sign of insanity?
2. You are hoping to wear down the opposition. You know you can count on the same 4-5 sympathetic posters who have been posting on almost the same topic with undiminished vigor for years to fill the thread with multiple supportive posts. Those who disagree with you, on the other hand, have admitted a number of times in your past threads that they are growing weary, very weary, of repeating the same responses every time. Perhaps you think that eventually they will all go home and leave you and the other 4-5 to continue all alone. That actually happened for a while in the last big thread on this topic.
3. It is a symptom of a obsessive compulsive disorder. If so, there are people who can help.
4. You see yourself on a Quixotic mission to slay the giant windmills of the present world, and you cannot help but dream the impossible dream.

Is it one of those choices, or is there a different reason?

 

[DCBC]

Let me modify it and we'll see.

Perhaps you could write your own thread and word things how you would like and allow others the same degree of freedom.

 

[Diver0001]

Well....

we are getting better at it. This time we made it to almost 100 posts before it turned into a

Let's summarize:

Proposition: "everthing was better in the good old days"

"no it wasn't"
"yes it was"

"no it wasn't"
"yes it was"

"no it wasn't"
"yes it was"



This is the umpteenth time we've had this conversation and the umpteenth time it ended in a stalemate.

There should be a special forum for this called : "The Dead Horse Saga"



R..