[QUOTE=Quero;5141]That is certainly part of it. Another part is that scuba instructors are both teachers and coaches. Most are accomplished divers and pretty good coaches. Where a lot of them fall down is in the classroom portion of the course. Many (perhaps most) don't really know how to teach in a classroom setting and simply read powerpoint slides aloud or repeat information students are having trouble with verbatim from the manual rather than going at it from a different direction so that it makes more sense to the student. Really good instructors can bridge that chasm, but significant numbers cannot. I know that a lot of students and instructors alike dread the classroom parts of the certification courses, meaning that many students don't get much from them anyway and may actually learn better in another way. I have certifications from three different agencies in a very large number of courses, QUOTE]
I could not agree more!!!! I had a partner who used his education background as a selling point for his classes. He was one of the better instructors I have observed. This very point was discussed amongst my dive team this last weekend. It was our collective agreement on this very item, that is dictating our choice of instructor for future training in the various disciplines of diving that we are pursuing as a team.
Now back to the original post. I have obtained certifications from 9 seperate organizations and the determining factor now, is what diving am I trying to do and what organization provides the best curriculum for that course of study. Now, I seek out the best instructor, period! That may mean traveling on my part. When it comes to my life, a few miles (kilometers) are an insignificant factor in my training requirerments.
How do I chose my Instructor/Agency? That is how!