Buggy Whips
I've been teaching this class for a lot of years now.
Not as a full-time job, just a side gig. Something to give a little variety to my work schedule, plus part-time jobs are very beneficial come tax time.
I've gotten pretty good at teaching this class. I enjoy it, my students seem to enjoy it, and they definitely walk out knowing more than when they came in.
So recently, the entity that owns the course I teach did a major redesign. Now, instead of moderating a carefully crafted series of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and practical skills applications it is my job to press "play" on a DVD reader. A whole lot easier, the pay stays the same, and I don't have a sore throat the next day. But it still makes me grouchy.
I'll admit, the canned class is a lot flashier than the one I used to put on. It has well-dressed actors being very intent on their roles. It all seems mildly ludicrous to me.
I could put something here about inflexibility of the canned course, DVD players can't answer questions, yada, yada, yada. But you know all that. And it don't make no difference, 'cos John Henry's still dead. Can't fight technology.
Funny thing...For various complex reasons, I need to maintain my certification as an instructor. In order to do that, I have to sit through this amazingly irritating interactive CD that takes about 20 hours to complete, and is mostly just a sales pitch for the teaching style--in other words, about 30 seconds worth of information packed into two days of button-pushing.
Good thing I have a fallback career.
Not as a full-time job, just a side gig. Something to give a little variety to my work schedule, plus part-time jobs are very beneficial come tax time.
I've gotten pretty good at teaching this class. I enjoy it, my students seem to enjoy it, and they definitely walk out knowing more than when they came in.
So recently, the entity that owns the course I teach did a major redesign. Now, instead of moderating a carefully crafted series of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and practical skills applications it is my job to press "play" on a DVD reader. A whole lot easier, the pay stays the same, and I don't have a sore throat the next day. But it still makes me grouchy.
I'll admit, the canned class is a lot flashier than the one I used to put on. It has well-dressed actors being very intent on their roles. It all seems mildly ludicrous to me.
I could put something here about inflexibility of the canned course, DVD players can't answer questions, yada, yada, yada. But you know all that. And it don't make no difference, 'cos John Henry's still dead. Can't fight technology.
Funny thing...For various complex reasons, I need to maintain my certification as an instructor. In order to do that, I have to sit through this amazingly irritating interactive CD that takes about 20 hours to complete, and is mostly just a sales pitch for the teaching style--in other words, about 30 seconds worth of information packed into two days of button-pushing.
Good thing I have a fallback career.
posted by Ted @ 03:47
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