But what about the class? After all this angst, won't there be some sort of Fundies Report? Sure. Why not.
My class is with Meredith Tanguay in High Springs, Florida April 22-25, 2019. I'm actually a fill-in for an open spot, so I signed on fairly last minute. In the end, it's probably better this way -- less time for me to obsess. Or at least compress all that obsession into a shorter time? Maybe.
So, 30 days out I get an e-mail with the pre-classwork to be done. Of course, I only signed up like 35 days out, but nobody got the assignments until 30 days out. Why? 'So it's fresh in your mind.' Sounds reasonable to me.
What does this pre-classwork include? A fair amount of stuff, really. The first couple don't need answers. They need questions. The first one is: three personal objectives for the class. Sure thing: I've had a decade to think about it...
I can write those right up (which I did). And it *was* the first question, so I did it first and sent them off.
Except... as I completed the rest of the work, this evolved a little bit. So I've got a second smaller batch of points. But I've learned my lesson: I won't send them in until they're due -- in case they change again!
I'll include at least an overview of my answers (erm, questions) here later as well.
The next question asks for more questions, too. After reading the entire classroom presentation -- six separate modules, plus a separate Nitrox module, come up with three questions for each item. I won't bother listing these -- what's the point without the classroom material? -- but I would say half of them are somewhat detail oriented, and the other half open-ended discussion question -- and a fair amount of those are asking for *her* thoughts and reflections on the material. Hey, if she wants to know our personal objectives for learning within her class, I want to know what her personal objectives are for teaching the class!
This is not the first time I've seen this technique used within an educational setting. It is certainly the first time I've seen it used in a SCUBA-education setting. This is a sign of an educator that is trying to be effective and deliver measurable value. How better to make sure that a student receives what they are expecting than by *asking* them? Now we both have a standard to refer to. Of course, it also creates an expectation that you'll deliver those things...
Now it's bookwork time. Of course, in order to develop questions for each module, you actually have read each module. So that's a bunch of reading. Then, there is an optional Nitrox study/refresher, along with a fair number of exercises to complete. Sure, it's optional, but after thousands of dollars, a week long class and travel, you're gonna skimp out *now*?!? Of course not. So Nitrox bookwork it is! This includes a bunch of other gas pressure/volume related calculations as well. So be it.
Finally, there's a bunch of specific supplemental worksheets to complete. These are all gas related: SCR/SAC/RMV/Whatever, gas management and planning, partial pressures, calculating ascent rates. When you're done with them, you then complete an online review, where every question also includes an "I need some assistance with this" option. In other words, you are *not* expected to know all of this stuff without question. You clearly *are* expected to put a good amount of effort into at least making yourself very familiar with this stuff. (Which is good: I subtly suggested to a fellow classmate that if he were to show up with absolutely no clue what any of this stuff was that I would rip off his arm and beat him to death with the wet end. I really don't want to, of course, but I *also* do not want to sit through several hours of remedial Nitrox, either... He assured me he would at least glance at it in advance...)
Finally, with all this out of the way, there's some additional material to review as time allows. There's a folder of Supplemental Reading, which includes a good amount of material related to peripheral items: physical fitness, smoking, etc, as well as write ups on specific topics: SMB's, valves and valve drills, etc. Finally, there's Additional Reading, because the rest of this certainly doesn't provide enough volume (
), including the classics: Beginning with the End in Mind, and Fundamentals of Better Diving. Just 700 pages or so to peruse... (Let me be clear: neither of these sections are required. But again, in for a penny, in for a pound. Onto the iPad they go. I'm gonna read something sometime: might as well be these.)
I have to say, from a sheer volume of material standpoint, the class at least has weight, if not value...
One thing I completely forgot about: the swim test. Darn it. I *have* swam competitively in the past -- a few sprint triathlons. Not that my *times* were competitive, but that I have done swimming of some distance in a competitive environment. My times were all roughly in the neighborhood of 40 meters a minute, and 500 meters was the shortest. Of course, my last tri was... 7 years ago? I hated swimming then, and I haven't warmed up to it in the interim... But look at it from the other direction: I have to do 275 meters in 14 minutes. That's 20 meters per minute. OK. In other words, this *really* isn't a swimming test. This is more of a move-in-the-water-in-an-organized-fashion-for-14-minutes test. If you don't drown and you don't set off at a blazing pace and burn out in the first five minutes, you *should* be able to complete this test.
At least that's what I'm telling myself, anyway.
The biggest problem is that I've been sick ever since I signed up for this class. I'm on the upswing, but I'm still sick: with the stamina I have right now, I'm good for about 50 meters and then I will sink to the bottom. I'm going to try to get in a pool early next week and make sure. Not that this gives me any time to change anything if I'm wrong...
But really: 275 meters in 14 minutes. More than 2 minutes per 50m. It can't be *that* bad, right? I can backstroke or even sidestroke that fast.
Other than the swim to tune up and my gear to pack (and by "my gear" I mean most of the small dive shop worth of gear in my workshop), there's really nothing else for me to do at this point. Except get overwhelmed by anxiety and suppressed emotion and misplaced priorities (and family obligations and work requirements and...)...
One day at a time.
So far, my impression of the class and the instructor is professionalism. This is not Meredith's first rodeo. She's got the communication and class materials ready to go. Lodging and tank rentals are ready if you need it (she recommends staying with your fellow student for logistical and team-building reasons). I've had a number of e-mails back and forth with her over the last couple weeks, me making sure I'm on the right page and her outlining exactly what she's looking for.
This winter, I had had a somewhat lengthy conversation with her on the phone. This was a pre-class interview -- on both of our parts. Between that experience, the e-mails I've exchanged and the opinions of others who have worked with her in the past, I really do not think she will be the degrading or browbeating type. And she assures me that there will be lots of instruction and then enough evaluation to figure out what's next. Which sounds perfectly reasonable -- even responsible!
So that's where we are right now: I'm all signed up and the book work's done and turned in. Nothing left but the waiting. I leave in two weeks. Hopefully I'll get in the water, but other than that, it's just pack up and go.
The human psyche is so fragile...)
