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| Chapter 7. Instructor Responsibilities and Professionalism
Sincerity An aviation instructor should be straightforward and honest. Attempting to hide inadequacy behind a smokescreen of unrelated instruction makes it impossible for the instructor to command the respect and full attention of a student. Teaching an aviation student is based upon acceptance of the instructor as a competent, qualified teacher and an expert pilot or aircraft maintenance technician. Any facade of instructor pretentiousness, whether it is real or mistakenly presumed by the student, causes the student to lose confidence in the instructor, and learning is adversely affected. Acceptance of the Student The instructor must accept students as they are, including all their faults and problems. The student is a person who wants to learn, and the instructor is a person who is available to help in the learning process. Beginning with this understanding, the professional relationship of the instructor with the student should be based on a mutual acknowledgement that the student and the instructor are important to each other, and that both are working toward the same objective. Under no circumstance should the instructor do anything which implies degrading the student. Acceptance (rather than ridicule) and support (rather than reproof) encourage learning. Students must be treated with respect, regardless of whether they are quick to learn or require more time to absorb certain concepts. Criticizing a student who does not learn rapidly is similar to a doctor reprimanding a patient who does not get well as rapidly as predicted. Personal Appearance and Habits Personal appearance has an important effect on the professional image of the instructor. Today’s aviation customer expects an instructor to be neat, clean, and appropriately dressed. Since the instructor is engaged in a learning situation, the attire worn should be appropriate to professional status. [Figure 7-7]
Personal habits have a significant effect on the professional image. The exercise of common courtesy is perhaps the most important of these. An instructor who is rude, thoughtless, and inattentive cannot hold the respect of a student, regardless of the instructor’s ability as a pilot or aviation maintenance technician. Personal cleanliness is important to aviation instruction. Frequently, an instructor and a student work in close proximity, and even little annoyances such as body odor or bad breath can cause serious distractions from learning the tasks at hand. |
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