Friday, April 25, 2008
Today..... felt a bit at a loss
A loss of heart, really.
It was a longish day, with no heavy challenges. None of the students gave me
any real problems, and I only raised my voice a few times on minor safety issues.
Nothing to get angry about, or even real concerned.
No.... just a day riding herd.
That is what I am a little low about. I'm riding herd, babysitting the pack.
My better students are out on the job getting training. What's left.... are not my best.
Even so, by this time of the year a 'shop day' (no theory, and very rare) would usually have
left me just standing by, with my only job to assist on hard problems or maybe
teach a few skills. The students by now, usually, could go on auto pilot and leave me behind.
Not this year, and not this group.
I tried to explain to one student why I was down, not that I'm sure he cared to know.
He asked... I told him. I'm that way.
I pointed to a paper towel on the floor by the trash can.... and a $1500 diagnostic tool
left on a bench...... and a shop vac now useless because it had been left full of water.....
and a handful of other things carelessly left for someone else to clean up or deal with.
I tried to tell him... these are things we have been trying to teach all year, and failed.
There are some things we just can't teach, and because of that I will be coasting out the
year as a babysitter. I don't like babysitting. That is why I am down.
On the other hand.... a few students did excellent work today, at least at the level
of experienced techs, probably better.
There are a few candle lit windows shining in the wilderness of ignorance. Damn few, and
very far in between them, and that is what truly slices the heart out of my day.
Oh.... and this evening I spent fifty bucks getting my cell phone swapped out for a new one, in hopes it would not drop so many calls where I am living. I know it's a bad cell area, but it was important to me to try.... and now I feel like a fool for spending it. It didn't help.
On the other hand, I spent one hundred dollars on a new air/fuel sensor for my truck, and I expect that to pay for itself in a month or three in fuel savings. The local gas stations have taken to keeping people posted by the price signs, as they lose too much time walking back to the building in between price hikes.
1 comment:
I had one flight student who wanted to learn the old fashioned way. In an old tail wheel airplane. He'd wanted to fly since he was a kid, and now, a successful farmer, kids grown, he could do it. Problem was, he got air sick. Bad. Many people get airsick as a passenger, but as a pilot it's beyond rare, you are busy focusing on what you are doing, with a better view you just DON'T get sick (well except that one time I did aerobatics after a chili cheese dog - bad idea). But this fellow. . threw up. . EVERY time we went up. He was not just sick, he was beyond embarrassed. We tried a different airplane, I wore no perfume one time, thinking the scent of Lily of the Valley was doing it, we went at dawn when there wasn't even a thin slice of turbulent air.
Nothing helped.
Still he barfed as soon as we got up, until we landed.
I finally had to tell him he should probably fly Radio Controlled planes. Hardest thing I ever had to do.
Sometimes you can't teach everyone, even the most motivated. So don't beat yourself up for your failure to somehow rebuild loose connections in a brain that was hard wired, through genetics and/or parenting for self indulged mediocracy.
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