By George Emanuel
The first thing you need to prepare to attend a firearms training class, or any other class or learning experience, is a “teachable attitude”.
Boiled down to it’s simplest form this means an open mind. You are responsible for your own learning. So, get prepared to learn before class.
Beginning any relationship with preconceived notions of how it will proceed or end is ludicrous. You are taking a class to learn, not demonstrate your knowledge or lack thereof. You are paying an instructor to instruct you. The contract itself presumes that you think he knows more than you do about a particular subject, or at the very least, he can show you something new or reinforce your current understanding in a way that makes it more meaningful and effective for you.
Improvement, Improvement, Improvement
You will read in other articles on this site the recommendation that you seek out a variety of instructors for your continued education. No two instructors are exactly alike even if they were teaching from an identical script. Their voice, their inflection, their grammar, body language, enthusiasm are all individual characteristics as well as their knowledge base and experience.
One instructor may explain something after which you walk away with a working knowledge. Another may explain the same item and suddenly a light bulb goes off and you actually understand what they are saying. People learn differently and must be taught as individuals even as they are part of a group.
One skill that all truly effective instructors have is the ability to assess a group within just a few minutes and accurately gauge how each individual is best taught and what tools or words will make that light bulb go off. If you can’t explain what they taught you, they didn’t do their job!
Your job as I said at the beginning is to show up for a class with a teachable attitude. When you walk through the door I expect to see you “willing” to learn and “mentally prepared” to do so. You must leave your preconceptions outside and do things my way while in the class. If after trying them and giving them a fair shot, they not being as good as yours, please go back to what you were doing prior to taking the class. On the other hand, if the technique needs more refining, make certain you understand it and go home and practice, practice, practice.
Coming to any class expecting to master or even become proficient in any aspect of shooting is folly. If you are expecting to do that, stay home and don’t waste your time. This is not a teachable attitude either, few things in life are attained without hard work. Becoming proficient with a firearm is attainable by most people, but they must put in the time honing the skills taught in class.
Ask questions and you will get answers. This is the best way to get the biggest bang for your training dollars.
We are always ready to teach eager students and will go the extra mile(s) to help you. Feel free to suggest how we might make the experience a better one for those who follow.
Bear in mind however, we can never tolerate being challenged by a member of the class. We are, after all, in charge and responsible for your learning and most importantly, your safety. Challenging that authority is an excellent way to demonstrate an unteachable attitude, and might even earn you an invitation to leave.
I hope to see you in class one day and to share my knowledge with you on my line. Good luck and practice, train, study and most important maintain the teachable attitude so that you can learn