wrap up for the first week

We definitely learned some stuff this first week, actual book work withstanding.

First and foremost we had the fact that it is “your license to get!” reinforced at each turn by each manager and instructor. Basically, the attitude is that no matter how poor the materials, training aids, classroom conditions, schedules, schedule changes, or “presenters” if we really want it we must go and get it. Please note that the instructors consider themselves “presenters” so that the responsibility for all of the material falls squarely on the candidate, for better or for worse. Some small changes from the last several classes came when the operations managers for the unit came in and indicated that if we were having trouble, we should contact them and that they would ensure we got all the help that we needed. But, then the instructors indicated that it was still “your license to get!”

Second, we learned that much like in our non-licensed training that the instructors are so insulated from us as students that constructive criticism on issues likequiz scheduling is immediately taken as an affront. The general attitude on this subject is that “the instructors have been doing this for a long time and they know what they are doing, who are you to question them?”

Third we learned that the instructors and supervisors take initial “guesses” at who will and will not make it thru the process at this stage. They all seem to be surprised that they are all guessing that we will all most likely make it. They seemed to have taken great pleasure in this in previous classes and one of the operators that declined to take his license exams (quit the class) was told after the fact that all of the instructors had know from the beginning that he was going to fail.