Why not Fundies?

[scubaaaronh]

The purpose of the instructor isn't to pass you ... or even to work with you until you pass. The purpose of the instructor is to provide you with the knowledge and tools to attain a certain level of proficiency with the skills the class introduces. It is then up to the student to go out and practice those skills until that proficiency level is attained. For almost all of us, that cannot be accomplished in just four days.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

OK let me see if i have this right. You pay for the class to learn the skills, and there is a good chance you wont pass. If you dont pass do you then have to pay for the class again to move to the next level. The instructors then dont work with you either till you master the skill and pass the class?

 

[jonnythan]

If you don't pass, you do not need to pay for the class again. You have a 1-year period in which you can be audited by the instructor to prove that you have acquired the skills. This is free.

So, you take the class, they teach you the skills, and if you can't master them within the weekend, you go and practice on your own.. and when you're up to the level of passing, you show up for a dive to prove that you've acquired them, then you pass.

 

[PerroneFord]

OK let me see if i have this right. You pay for the class to learn the skills, and there is a good chance you wont pass. If you dont pass do you then have to pay for the class again to move to the next level. The instructors then dont work with you either till you master the skill and pass the class?

Yea, its kinda like college calculus... you take the class, you may mor may not pass. If you don't, you sign up again and pay again. You can get tutoring and you may do better. Or you study at home and do better. But amazingly, you acutally have to WORK at it to get better and pass.

Familiar concept eh?

 

[jonnythan]

It's not at all like calculus.

In a college class, you're given ample time to learn the material during the course of the class. In DIR-F, it is fairly unlikely that an OW diver who has never been exposed to this level of skill simply will never obtain them to a sufficient degree in the span of 2-4 days.

 

[H2Andy]

i thought DIR-F was more like trigonometry?

 

[cummings66]

Don't (don't don't don't) (did I say don't?) take the course expecing to pass. Don't even think about the fact that there's a passing and a failing, unless you really have to take Tech 1 or Cave 1 next week.

I understand what you're saying, but why even take the course if you KNOW you can't possibly pass it? It's a waste of time.

However, if I fail it due to needing to work on diving skills that's one thing and I'd learn from that. But to have failure be the conclusion at the start is simply put a waste of time and money. Why would I want to spend say $600 for failure, i.e. $300 the first time when I KNOW I'd fail, and then $300 when I might pass.

I'm going to time my swimming and see how it works out, I won't take the course unless I know I'll pass the above water or non diving stuff. In other words I want to be physically fit enough to do it.

 

[gangrel441]

Yea, its kinda like college calculus... you take the class, you may mor may not pass. If you don't, you sign up again and pay again. You can get tutoring and you may do better. Or you study at home and do better. But amazingly, you acutally have to WORK at it to get better and pass.

Familiar concept eh?

So fundies is like calculus, then? You pay for the class, study your butt off, possibly pass, possibly fail, pay again, take it all over again, and eventually pass, go out to a frat party, drink enough to forget the last semester's worth of work in a single evening, go on to get your advanced degree in sociology and spend the next 40 years of your life flipping burgers.....

Kind of like that?

 

[jonnythan]

I understand what you're saying, but why even take the course if you KNOW you can't possibly pass it? It's a waste of time.

It's only a waste of time if your only goal is to get a DIR-F card.

However, the card is absolutely the least important thing from the class, and the absolute last thing you should think about walking away with.

 

[H2Andy]

I understand what you're saying, but why even take the course if you KNOW you can't possibly pass it? It's a waste of time.

you mean because of the swimming requirement, right?

i think you're right... might as well not take the class until you know you can fulfill the minimum requirements

 

[JeffG]

I understand what you're saying, but why even take the course if you KNOW you can't possibly pass it? It's a waste of time.

LOL