REC 2, Success is Worth the Struggle

I was trying to find a quote that could sum up what we all just went through during my last UTD Recreational 2 class. I had two guys who were very enthusiastic, great spirits, strongly committed but just needed a little more work.
The last Recreational 2 class started off with a lot of issues that needed attention. The UTD program demands the best from our students, granted it is specific to their level… but we still expect a student to perform to a certain ability in or order to achieve a certification. We don’t expect a Recreational 2 student to deal with the same level of awareness that a Technical 2 would, but we are going to test their ability and comfort for what we are certifying that student to do, out on their own.
My two recent students had some basic buoyancy issues. Both had the typical AOW, Nitrox certified status but lacked in the ability to multitask in the way we want our divers to do. This is the hardest part of being a UTD instructor. To look at two excited divers who could easily have the cards from any other agency, and tell them, “You are not ready,” is a difficult task.
Class ended on a high note Sunday afternoon. We had tremendous improvement, a great video debrief and two divers who were steadfast in their training. Monday afternoon I had the pleasure to find out these two guys sneaked out of work, to get right back out there and work on the things they needed to. That’s what makes you feel good as an instructor, to see your students really take what you say to heart, and do it on their own accord, without you there watching! Congratulations guys.
“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” Mike Ditka said that once, I don’t know where, or why, or about what… but I can imagine. Most important to me is that it fit these two guys well. Just passing isn’t the end, and needing a little more work to earn success isn’t the end either. Earning a card and getting a card are two very different things, and only those who have earned it can tell you why.
James Mott

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Comment by Anna Krusinska on April 23, 2009 at 1:04am: "Earning a card and getting a card are two very different things, and only those who have earned it can tell you why" - thanks for writing it James. For me this is a clue.
and Lynne, it means a lot to me that you share your experience. Thank you.

Comment by Lynne Flaherty on April 22, 2009 at 7:01pm: It's wonderful that you were able to teach the class and keep the enthusiasm high, even in the face of what had to be disappointing to them. I know, because I provisionaled Fundies and took six months to pass it, never passed Rec Triox, and passed Rec 3 by the skin of my teeth. It was a hard lesson to learn, that the work you put in to pass a class you don't breeze through is going to do nothing but make your diving better and more fun, and build closer bonds with your buddies. But I'm sure your Rec 2 students are going to figure that out in short order.