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Rly? I get peer reviewed all the time. Most of it good, but I'll be the first to admit that my best class will always be my next one. My classes evolve continually and I love it when I learn something new. Quite often, I'll share those learning experiences right here on SB. I have to admit that my notoriety causes me to be quite diligent in how I teach. People like you want to find a chink in my armor just so they can take a cheap shot like you just did. It doesn't matter what the motive is, I take each and every criticism personally with an eye to improving my craft. How else can I continue to grow?
Any advice I give is always free of charge and guaranteed to be worth every penny too!
I learned a wonderful lesson from one of the owners of Fifth Gear in Jax, by the name of Eliot. I was managing a small auto parts store for them in Gainesville, and he would take me to breakfast from time to time and mentor me. Of all the things he told me, one really stood out: There are no bad mechanics, just bad managers. Wow. It took me a while to internalize that concept, but years later I believe it changed me from being a stupidvisor to a supervisor when I became a Service Manager for Goodyear Tire & Rubber. The first step was making myself accountable for my mechanics' mistakes. Their motivation, knowledge, attention to detail and so forth were all my responsibility. I found the best way to improve them was to improve me first. I've adopted that to my students: there are no bad students: only bad instructors. If I'm going to take credit for their successes, and what instructor doesn't, I'm going to take the blame for their failures as well. Every student learns a bit differently, so taking a one size fits all makes as much sense as trying to loosen a 17mm bolt with a 13mm wrench. I like my toolbox overfilled with options and I want to develop the skill to use every tool at the right time.
Actually, I said that instructors as a general rule don't. Sry for the confusion. I love any and all feedback. I continually ask my students what they liked, what they didn't like (my horrible puns are a runaway fav here) and how they think I could improve their learning experience.
Pete, if I may call you Pete since we've never met, you are the exception rather than the rule. I thinkx in your heart of hearts, you know that. There are more like you, but there are a ton of instructors out there that passed their IE but aren't instructors. IMHO. Edit: except by certification only.
I stole your definition for the acronym Boyle’s, breath or your lungs explode s___!Any advice I give is always free of charge and guaranteed to be worth every penny too!
It's a good approach to management but the reality of it is that, as good of a manager as you may be, there actually are bad "mechanics" who are just not interested in becoming better regardless of how much you work with them to improve. I've seen a few in my 32 years in engineering - luckily, it's been an exception - and they were eventually shown the door!
