Posted by e-shark on June 18, 2001 at 21:15:09:
In Reply to: Re: Teaching experience? posted by MHK on June 18, 2001 at 17:14:59:
"As to your question about the avergae student entering a dive shop, sorry that isn't my area of expertise, but I'd offer I don't care what the students attitude is... My attitude towards my Quantitiative Anaylsis class in undergrad almost cost me not to graduate, but I don't think he gave a sh*t about my attitude, all he cared about was that I could do what he was requiring I did..."
Isn't that the point? It would be great if scuba instruction were like more traditional forms of education. It would be nice if scuba instructors were evaluated primarily -- if not solely -- based on how much their students learned during a basic scuba class. But it isn't and they aren't. It's called retail. The customer ultimately calls the shots through what he or she will or will not purchase. People will walk down the street to a competitor, not because the instruction is any better but because the price is $20 less. If you want to keep scuba instruction standards high, figure out how to get the 946,000 scuba students a year to demand (and pay for) quality instruction above all else. If the demand is there, there will be more than enough scuba instructors willing to supply it.