Reflections From A Newly Qualified Driving Instructor

15 Feb Reflections From A Newly Qualified Driving Instructor

Dear readers,

Having passed the adi part 3 exam on my instructional abilities on my first attempt, I have been invited to share some of my reflections with you all.

The first and most important point that I would like to make is the importance of finding the right teacher. I was blessed to have been taught by one of the most qualified drivers in South West London.

I came across him more by luck than by design, but I  now have no hesitancy in full heartedly recommending him to anyone looking for any level of help learning to drive or become an instructor.  (His name is Mr Russell Platel for those interested in seeking out high quality driving instructor. )

The lesson learnt is that whenever I try to learn about anything in the future, choose the teacher with great care.

Having said that, more important than finding the right teacher is being the “right student”.

What does that mean?

It means doing whatever it takes to learn the subject you are studying both inside lessons and outside of lessons.

Preparing for lessons by gathering as much information about the subject to be covered in advance to help get the most out of it

Having  questions prepared to ask your teacher. We learn quicker and retain more from being answered questions that we ask than general information just meted out to us.

This is because to ask is to seek to understand rather than merely follow.

It also means having the right attitude to learning. It is a process and requires lateral thinking. Failure is only failure if you give up after it. If you learn from it, and ironically you often learn more from failure than “success”, is it really failure?

If you fail 10 driving tests, but learn 10 ways of being a safer driver…. wouldn’t that be better than passing first time but end up killing someone or yourself due to not having come across one of the 10 situations that could have made you “fail”?

Please do not misunderstand me. Prepare to pass. Play to win and maybe don’t stay with an instructor until you have failed tests in to double digits, but also be humble.

The goal is not just to merely pass a driving test.
The goal has to be to become somebody worthy of passing the test and being a safe and considerate driver for life.

I thank Russell and Wimbledon Driving School once again for the wonderful tuition I received, the invitation to join the team of instructors there and the opportunity to share some reflections with you all.

Thanks for reading this. I hope that you have found this post beneficial and enjoyable and if so, please like and share the page on your social media.

Mustafa Rashid