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"What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation."
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, CONSUL OF ROME 63 B.C.
To my first ever Federal Air Marshal recruit students, thank you so very much for allowing me to learn and grow as an instructor, at your expense. Sometimes I did a good job and other times I did not. They say, you have to learn somewhere, and this was very true for me. Moving from the "shooter world" to the "instructor world" had a steep learning curve, and luckily I had no shortage of students to practice on and no shortage of mentors to help guide me down the right path.
Our recruit basic programs were very in-depth and hands on, lasting upwards of 96 hours in length, taking place over the course of two and a half months. A typical firearms session was four hours in length and with multiple classes on deck, including after-hours remedial training, it was not uncommon for our staff to teach ten hours a day, every day. This type of schedule went on and on for years. The lessons learned from my time working on this particular gun range is what drives me to teach today. There is no better feeling then being able to make an impact on so many young "shooters" and I continue to seek out this feeling in every class that I teach.
Over the course of many subsequent years, I went on to attened many additional instructor training programs while also performing my firearms instructional duties. I was even blessed to help develop and teach in our first of many, FAMS Firearms Instructor Training Programs. This eighty hour instructor programs certified our field office staff to perform as firearms instructors themselves.
We passed along our knowledge and experience to others, in hopes that the next generation of firearms instructors cound learn from us. Perhaps some of our hard earned mistakes or successes could be used when they are tasketed with building and developing future training programs. I will be the first one to tell you that the government does a great job at getting things "wrong", however the firearms training program that we helped to develop and which is still facilitated and delivered today, was not one of those "wrong" things.
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So, what are some of the traits you should strive to emulate as a professional firearms instructor? I use this word emulate purposefully. Many worthwhile instructors will tell you that they have made substantial gains, because of the mentors with whom they surrounded themselves. I know that I owe a debt of gratitude to my many instructional mentors. There are too many to name here, but they know who they are.
Instructor Traits-
- Competency of the subject matter
- Mastery in the techniques of instruction
- Well versed in performance evaluation
- Remains "coachable" and humble
- Sets a good example for others
- Develops professional relationships
- Teaches to the student’s needs, not to the instructors wants
- Displays enthusiasm
- Utilizes creativity in your teachings
- Encourages student interactions and questions
As a lead firearms instructor and training coordinator, I have had the pleasure to help develop several in-depth instructional programs, as well as provide mentorship to other instructors. This was done while meeting nationally accredited law enforcement Instructor Qualification Process (IQP) requirements.