Teaching

[Illini Pilot]

my CFI ground instructor used to say that we are pilots, not teachers, so we usually gonna be crappy teachers, but seriously, after I started instructing, you really realize that all that aviation knowledge really does stick with you, and as long as you are prepared in teaching, you should have no problem. i find myself using my past instruction and my own personal (while still relatively meager) experiences so much now.

 

[SkyGuyEd]

I felt the exact same way you do... it goes away, just don't ever let your guard down with any students

 

[bobbysamd]

Instructing

The way I see it, the fact you care enough to even ask the question is a pretty good step towards being a good teacher.

I second that. Excellent observation.

Having the right attitude about instructing, which you appear to have, will carry you far. All flight instructors were new at one time; even those who might have been teachers or instructors of another subject still had to learn aviation and how to teach it. Your students will pick up on your enthusiasm for teaching and will likely respond to it. Experience will hone your abilities.

The odd thing about flight instructing, though, is the amount of knowledge that you, the instructor, will acquire. I only had three instructors for training toward ratings and they were fair to good. The best flight instructors I ever had were my students. While I feel I influenced my students positively and helped them become successful, they probably taught me far more overall than I taught them.

Good luck with getting your CFI.

 

[Uncle Sparky]

The first time that I taught a student holds and holding procedures, I stood in front of a dry erase board and after I would ask a question about entries, I would then turn my back to him and look at the board. I was using this time to sneak looks at my plastic holding reference that I had cupped discreetly in my hand. By the time another month had passed, not only could I do it without the reference card, I knew the curriculum like I wrote it myself.
The moral to the story is: even though you will be a CFI, you are a student yourself. It does become easier. Once you have learned the BASE material(you should always continue to acquire new knowledge)you will start to find a groove and instructing becomes easier.
The real challenge will be maintaining the student's interest. Try to imagine yourself in that students position. If the material is particularly dry(most primary students struggle with VOR's for example)take them out of the classroom(if the school is flexible in that respect) and sit in an airplane or just get outside of the building. A classroom can assume the motivational qualities of a morgue. You will notice your student's eyes glazing over and when you ask questions(you should frequently) they won't know the answers. This is when it's time to take a break or go outside.
My school gave us a lot of latitude so I would go out to a REAL airplane to teach aerodynamics or use a sidewalk as a runway and have them walk through a "pattern".