For most students, driver’s education classes are a hassle. They’re long, boring, and take away precious time that they just can’t waste on a school night. Furthermore, finding the time to fit a class in their schedules, all of which are chock-full of sports, extracurriculars, and especially homework, can be extremely difficult. Fortunately, there is good news for all of the freshmen and sophomores who foresee this same problem with their driver’s ed experience: Coach Ryan Menard, Director of Driver Education, is introducing next semester a 32 hour-long driver’s ed course that can be taken during the school day!
Due to the retirement of former instructor Jim Wall, who has been with the Jesuit community for the past seven years, the Driver Education program is entering a reform process that has begun with the hire of Mr. Tyler Parr, the new full-time instructor and strength and conditioning coach. From this process has also emerged the novel idea of a school day class. When asked how the idea arose, Menard focused on the accommodating, serviceable aspect that the course would provide, explaining, “The biggest motivation is that we provide a lot of services for our students. A lot of our students are having to go back into their communities to find driver’s education schools, which is difficult with their schedules. So we think it would be beneficial, if the student has time and can do it during the school day.”
Moreover, the structure of the class will also afford the student more time to focus on his schoolwork and an easier way to make up any driver’s ed classes that he may have missed during the semester. Replacing exempt freshmen students’ study hall periods, the class, which will meet three times a week, is sure to help lighten the students’ load by efficiently breaking up the information presented into more condensed periods. Menard believes the class, now conducted in 64 half-hour-long sessions as opposed to 16 two-hour-long sessions, will “create a better situation for the instructor,” as he will now have the ability to give out a class assignment that covers the lesser amount of information learned during a missed session as make-up work.
With the introduction of the class, Menard admits that a little bit of anxiety exists concerning the successfulness of the pilot experiment: “We’re blindly walking into this, that’s why we’re anxious.” However, he optimistically predicts it will generate enough interest (around fifty students) and income to create a profit, disclosing, “We think that it being offered in-class will actually increase [the Driver’s Education program’s] numbers…. If we get the number of students that we think, then we’ve added another person on our staff and can compensate for that,” meaning a permanent staff position will be created for Mr. Parr.
Those who are unable to take the course, which will most likely be available during 2nd, 3rd, and 7th periods, due to scheduling or those who would rather stick with the original afternoon classes can be assured that they will still be able to take driver’s ed through Jesuit; the program will retain all of its after-school classes in the fall and spring, in addition to the popular summer driver’s ed course. The new course will simply be offered in addition to these classes. With the integration of drive-times during driver’s ed periods, though, Menard hopes to attract more students to the class by furthering its efficiency and convenience. “So if you’ve taken driver’s ed, and you have a free period, he can take you into the neighborhood and start documenting your 14 hours of instruction to get your behind-the-wheel instruction as well,” he excitedly explained.
Early on in the interview, Menard declared, ““Driver’s Ed is driver’s ed. There’s not a lot of excitement in learning how to turn right or yield or stop.” However, he hopes to reshape the way that students think about driver’s ed with the integration of this novel, appealing opportunity. It will be interesting to see whether or not the launching of this excellent idea works out next semester.
For those interested in signing up for the class, more information click here.
