Our local school system is thinking about getting rid of driver’s ed classes. I took driver’s ed when I was a sophomore in high school. My teacher was the school’s football coach. Some days we got in the car and he told us to take him to his dry cleaners and his bank. Other days he said we could drive wherever we wanted. We went to McDonalds, the music store and cruising through the parking lots of other schools. Regardless of the destination, the coach put on his seat belt and opened his newspaper up so that he couldn’t see out the windshield. Frequently he would fall asleep. After the 6 week class, my parents got a certificate to get a reduction in the cost of insuring me and I got my license on my 16th birthday without having to take the driving test. That's quality education.
The Driver’s Ed instructor profiled in the newspaper the other day, Frank something-or-other, I believe was my instructor in high school. The article said he’d been at Central High School for “about 20 years”, which if about 20 means at least 21-22 years, then that would be about right. And I remember the guy’s name being Frank something-or-other (the name is of Polish or Slavic descent). Kinda cool to every once in a while get a blast from the past.
That’s pretty much how I remember driver’s ed, too. But it was the only way to take it (the nearest Sear’s Driving School was 20 miles away at that point, there weren’t many others that didn’t cost a fortune)
What do parents do now?
Me too! I even had to parallel park in between perfectly set up cones. I did not do so well, but he passed me anyway!
And the interstate! OMIGOD! I learned to drive in New Orleans and he wanted me to go across the Mississippi River Bridge and at the last minute I decided it was a bad idea…so I got off the interstate, without looking and wound up on a one way street…you guessed it: the wrong way!
My experience was quite different — my driver’s ed instructor was a consultant on the TN driver’s manual. Now that was a real class.
Here, driver’s ed is required along with DWI classes. It is offered at the school as an extra class and Mia is taking it now. However, they don’t do any driving. Basically, they sit around and watch boring videos with the occasional quiz thrown in. She stays after school for the class until 5:00, unless she has practice. On practice days, she has to be at the school by 7 am for the morning class. After graduating from the program and logging 40 daytime driving hours and 10 hours driving at night [with ME] she can get her license at 15 1/2. But she still has to pass the written and driving tests…