the weekend

I taught a motorcycle safety class this weekend, and just as an aside, if was hotter than frak and I thought I was going to die. Still on an aside, I hadn't taught in almost 6 months, so this was a very harsh way to get back into. Now to the point; it is always interesting to deal with the personality mixes that show up in the classes. This particular weekend, the gang-banger court-ordered type dude was my favorite. He listened and followed directions, which is always a wonderful pair of qualities in a student, but he was also kind, appreciative, and personable. The class also had several brand-new students. With those students, it is always interesting to see who makes it and who doesn't. Of three older women who came together, one self-dropped from the class during the first exercise where we identify controls on the bike. The other 2 struggled through the next exercises and I wondered at what point safety would become an issue and I would have to counsel them out. Happily both made it to the end. One gal I suspect of ADHD, didn't pass but she made a good effort, the other one, wound up by the second day being one of the best students in the class, but sadly I didn't have a chance to tell her so before she left as I was so busy trying to explain to the other gal why she didn't make it. It is never fun to counsel a student out or to have to tell them they have failed, but when you compare what would happen if they managed to pass the class and didn't have strong enough skills to be on the road, you can console yourself that you are doing the right thing. I have never had to go to a students funeral, and I never want to either.