Before you take your very first lesson, here are some things your instructor wants you to understand.
Lesson #1: What a driving instructor does
In a nutshell, a driving instructor teaches driver’s education, which may include in-classroom instruction and in-car driving lessons. It is their job to teach students how to drive in preparation for a driving test and for receiving a driver license. He or she is responsible for teaching you how to operate your car safely in hands-on, behind-the-wheel driving practice, and for demonstrating skills that you need to learn.
Lesson #2: Your driving instructor wants you to succeed
That’s right: Your instructor isn’t there to criticize or intimidate you. Think of your instructor as part of your team, helping you learn how to drive correctly and safely. In order for you to succeed, your driving instructor wants you to learn all that you need to know about being a safe driver and about following traffic laws. They want you to pass your written and road tests with flying colors and receive your license at the culmination of your driver training.
Lesson #3: Your instructor has specific qualifications
Not just anybody can teach driving. Your instructor has the right skills, qualifications, experience and even personality traits (such as patience!) that make him or her particularly suited to the job and ready to train you.
At Stop and Go Driving School, our instructors are trained and experienced in working with students of all levels and ages. Many have a background in education, transportation, or law enforcement, with extensive in-car and classroom teaching experience. We also have instructors who are experienced in working with students who have a variety of needs. Just as important, our instructors know that you may be nervous or anxious about learning to drive, and they have the training to help you feel confident in the driver’s seat.
Lesson #4: They want you to know everything that’s on the test
Unlike in school, when you might feel that a teacher surprises you with test questions you weren’t prepared for, your driving instructor wants the complete opposite: To prepare you for what you’ll encounter in the driving test. That means you’ll spend a lot of your driving time going over very specific skills that you must pass in order to pass the test.
Your instructor also wants you to feel comfortable with the things you’ll be tested on, and is there to address any questions or concerns about driving.
Lesson #4: Your driving instructor wants you to be safe
This is really what it comes down to. All those hours of in-car training, of practicing maneuvers and skills over and over again, of reminders to do certain things a certain way — it all comes down to your instructor knowing what you need to do and know to be safe and to keep others safe.
As a driver — whether you have your instructional permit or your license — you have a responsibility to keep yourself and others safe, and your instructor is there to make sure that you learn all you need to learn to be able to do just that.
