"Funsies"

Fundamental Electronics ('Funsies' as we sometime referred to it), as I noted before, is a "Modular, Self-Paced" teaching environment. But it looks a lot different from an instructor's side than from the student side.

A new class is typically made up of students just out of high school. There were usually ten or twelve students. Most were only about four years younger than me. I was a E-2 rank. I had one whole stripe on my sleeve. The rank's name is 'Airman'. But the Air Force, to encourage longer enlistments, was granting to those who signed up for 6 years a rank of E-3 (two stripes - 'Airman First Class') right out of Basic Training. So some some of  the young students already out-ranked me.

The highest ranked student in each class became the 'class leader' and performed various leadership duties. Occasionally higher ranking Air Force members would 'cross-train' from their current job into another, beginning their instruction at the Fundamental level. I had one class where a 5 stripe sergeant was a student and was therefore the 'class leader'. In this particular class one of the young 'Airman First Class' was attempting to exert what they perceived as a rank advantage over me, the instructor. To say the least I wasn't very proficient at exerting my own authority at this early point.

The 'class leader' came to me and suggested that I might want to go get a coffee for a few minutes. I thanked him and stepped out but only far enough that I could still hear what went on. The sergeant then proceeded to make it very clear - in a surprisingly normal tone of voice - that 'that badge' (he was referring to the 'Instructor' badge I wore) made me the highest rank in the class and if the 'Airman First Class' had a problem with that they could discuss it outside. When I came back from my 'coffee break' I stepped into a very calm class. I gave the 'class leader' a discreet thankful nod. I had a lot to learn myself.

The students would receive a study manual which had text, pictures, study questions, practical equipment exercises and quizzes based on the hardware exercises. As they mastered the work in the manual they would take a proficiency test, in a separate testing area, then progress to the next manual.

The 'instructor' in Fundamentals managed the paperwork for each student, kept class statistics and helped each student as they progressed, answering questions and helping with misunderstandings. In the early few days of a class most of the students were on the same manuals so it wasn't too difficult to keep things straight. But as better student finished more rapidly and surged ahead in their manuals the class would become fragmented in what they were studying. There was less opportunity to address class problems as a whole.

This became even worse as the students advanced past very basic electronics. The students were preparing for different specialties. These would require different sets of knowledge at the basic level. If a specialty did not require knowledge of a subject - for example “lasers” - they would not receive that manual but would receive others that they needed. So a class became even more fragmented and the instructor was answering an even wider variety of questions. It was like a rapid-fire version of Jeopardy with ten subjects at the same time.

It had been found that, relying on the aptitude tests given before enlistment, the 'Reading Ability' pre-test came out ahead as a predictor of success in learning Electronics over scores on the the 'Electronics' test. But even with preliminary testing the predicted ability didn't always show itself. We had one student who, by pure memorization, finished each of the tests with barely a passing score. He was 'progressing' but it was increasingly apparent that he lacked actual understanding of the subject and was becoming more and more despondent over this situation. He did not give up but he had to work twice as hard as the other students just to achieve this level.

He had been with a few different instructors so we got together and discussed him and his progress. We then took the matter up with our supervisors. Even though he was 'technically' passing we urged that something be done to help him. There was no way he would be happy or productive in the Electronics field. Our supervisor called him in and talked about his progress listening to his level of enjoyment for the course. He was then reassigned to another skill field, with no negative mark whatsoever. We later received a letter from him expressing his delight in his new assignment (something very different than Electronics.) We couldn't be happier for a student who couldn't make it through our classes. We felt that we had properly applied another aspect of being an 'instructor'.

Being an Air Force Electronics instructor was more-or-less an eight hour a day, five day a week job (more on this later). At times we would be relieved of one class, which had fragmented in their studies enough to be grouped together in other classes with students in similar areas of instruction. A number of students had also failed to make the grade (even though their 'Electronics' pre-tests had predicted great aptitude). So at times we were between classes. We were given duties such as reviewing training materials and tests for updating and special instruction for students having specific problems. (I mentioned this near the end of my Instructor Training post.)

While I was 'between classes' my supervisor, a Master Sergeant, said to me at the end of a Friday “See you Tuesday”. I was confused. Was there a holiday on Monday I didn't know about? But luckily another instructor grabbed me. He said that that was my supervisor's method of giving an 'extra day off'. He said that my supervisor knew exactly what he had said, there was no holiday and if I go back in to ask he will correct it to “See you Monday” thus losing that day off. Interesting times.

After one and one half years of teaching in the Fundamental Electronics school I was re-assigned to the Systems School.