So what does it take to be an “Instructor”. See Bob Jewett's outline for the “Recognized Instructor Course”
http://www.sfbilliards.com/richandout.pdf. The applicant learns, “What to teach,” “How to teach it,” and “Course Organization.” This is accomplished by testing the applicant's ability and then presenting the materials for how to teach the basic course.
The “Basic Course” (
http://www.sfbilliards.com/basics.pdf) includes the following material: Cue selection, chalking, basic stance, sighting, and stroke mechanics. This is followed by an intro to Progressive Practice and a video analysis. A review of these outlines indicates that this is an organized approach to teaching people who desire to be a recognized instructor.
You cannot teach people to be good teachers. You can explain what is needed to be a good teacher, such as organization and how to interact with students as Jewett does in his workshop outline. You cannot instill what it takes to be a good teacher because these are basically personality characteristics that have to do with one's ability to manage interpersonal relations under specific circumstances. The management of interpersonal relations can be taught but it is far beyond what is taught here and is usually not learned in a classroom environment. We have all met state licensed teachers in middle school, high school and college who had years of experience wrecking young lives. A desire to be a teacher and the ability to teach are not the same thing, whether one is paid or unpaid. A teacher is a special kind of person with specific desires.
So you're saying that some folks are born teachers and that's it? I agree that good teachers may have innate skills, but would you have someone teaching your children without a degree or certificate because he or she "desires" to teach? People have told me (since I taught a class at age ten) that I was a "born teacher". I've taught a variety of subjects, but I'm the first to admit that when I first tried to teach kids how to play pool, I wasn't that good at it. But I've made a concerted effort to improve as a teacher. I believe you never stop learning unless you choose to. I learn more almost daily about teaching.
It is reasonably well known that success breeds success. Good teachers can point to their outstanding students and usually do not hesitate to do so. It has been shown that Nobel Prize winners are often the mentors for other Nobel Prize winners. And students are more than pleased to tell others the names of teachers and mentors who helped in their development. In my opinion an instructor who cannot tell you who his students are does not have any significant students. I can name the names of all of my significant teachers and most of my students who have gone on to positions of public importance. Among professional pool players it is not uncommon to hear them state from whom they learned. It can be concluded that often professional players are also not hesitant to identify their teachers and mentors.
The BCA and other organizations have designed certification programs for any of several reasons, not least of which is to help people make money by establishing a guild. There is nothing wrong with this, physicians and state certified teachers among others have established modern day guilds in which “unrecognized” people are pushed aside. In the high school arena a PhD chemist cannot teach a chemistry course because the chemist has not been state certified to teach high school.
A review of what is taught in a basic pool workshop will show that the materials do not differ much from what is available in any of several books. Robert Bryne's works are among the best in this area. So why should a student pay $300.00 for the material readily available for about $30.00 in a book format. Let alone the idea that it is available for free in most libraries unless the “Instructor” can give good reason why the student should study with him or her.
Books are great, but they can't watch you play, and they don't give you a lot of feedback. Only an actual person can do this. And by the way, not all instructors charge $300 for a lesson. For $30 you can get two hours with me, and thus still probably afford a good book too!
The pool instructors certification programs are nothing more than an attempt to establish guilds until such time as they can show reasons why they are more than this. Some of the abrasive personalities on this forum who list themselves as certified instructors is a tribute to the idea that teaching skills cannot be easily taught.
In the interim, I simply ignore those who claim to be a pool instructor because they have paid for some course of instruction until they can demonstrate that they are indeed real teachers.
Instructor programs are not meant to be a test of one's teaching skills. The reason that one goes from one level to another is much like a getting a Masters degree compared to a Bachelor's. You weren't expected to know everything taught in the graduate courses when you started. You learn more as you go along. When you attend pool classes (with the intent of becoming certified), you are expected to know a little about pool, but the point of the class is to learn, - more about the game, and more about how to teach it. That's why Masters Instructors generally know more than Level 1 Instructors.
And by the way, you don't just pay for the the course and get a certificate. You must demonstrate to the teacher that you have attained the skills required....you actually have to pass the course, as in any classroom. I'm sure you can cite an example where you feel someone you know has a certificate isn't qualified to teach, but unless you set some kind of standard, you'll end up with fewer good teachers, not more.
As the saying goes on this section, I am not a pool instructor, but I am a retired Professor
